Dating Grace
by lovethatgrigsby
Summary: Takes place immediately after Red Scare. ""WARNING CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR RED SCARE AND RED BULLS EPISODES!**
1. Rigsby States His Intentions

Grace Van Pelt sipped the wine out of the plastic cup slowly. It tasted all right but not nearly as good as Rigsby's kiss. Oh, maybe she should start calling him Wayne. She smiled down into her cup. She could just picture the goofy look on his face when she called him Wayne for the first time. Wayne. Wayne. Ok she could do that. She looked around the table, Rig..Wayne was talking to Lisbon and Jane was whispering something to Cho. It was probably about my plans for Wayne. Jane would know what they were just by looking at my face as we came back into the room. He always knew. And he already knew Wayne was in love with her. OK, she had eaten 2 pieces of pizza and drank her wine. Everyone else was talking amongst themselves so there was no reason why she could not leave now. "Well, goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."

"Wow look at the time. Why don't we all clean up and walk down together?" WHAT did Jane just say? Grace could not believe her ears. Jane of all people! He was always trying to push them together and now when they had a chance he was spoiling it. As she turned back toward the table everyone was grabbing plates, cups and pizza boxes and heading toward the break room. She picked up the drinks that Wayne had brought in earlier and followed. Once the clean up was complete 4 agents and 1 consultant gathered up their personal effects and headed to the parking lot.

Lisbon as a unit leader had her own parking space right up front. Both Cho and Jane were parked to the left and Rigsby and Van Pelt had parked next to each other to the right of the entrance. Once everyone had said their good nights Wayne and Grace broke from the group and headed toward their vehicles. Cho, Lisbon and Jane were still standing in front of the building talking. It was as if they were waiting to see if they would leave together. As they approached Grace's vehicle and there was still no sign that the others were leaving Wayne spoke up "Meet me at the Diner." He then continued to his vehicle and got in.

Grace pulled into the parking lot of the SacraMetro Diner and parked her vehicle next to Wayne's. He was already standing near the front of the vehicle leaning back against the hood with his legs stretched out in front of him. His chin was down resting on his chest as if he was afraid to look in her direction. She approached him wondering if the moment was lost and Wayne had retreated back into the shy, awkward giant afraid to tell her how he felt. Just as she stood in front of him, he raised his head and suggested they go inside and talk.

"Wayne you just practically inhaled an entire pizza. You can't possibly be hungry." She was right, the look on his face as she called him by his given name was both goofy and endearing at the same time.

"Well how about dessert?" he asked as he stood up straight and held out his hand to her. She took it and accompanied him into the diner.

They were seated across from each other in a booth and other than placing his order with the waitress Wayne had said not a word. Grace was getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Could she have been wrong about how he felt? Could everyone have been wrong? She was so sure that he was different. He wanted to be with her. Everyone had told her so. She could see it in his eyes. Feel it when he was close to her, in his kiss. She finally gave in to what she felt, practically dragged him into a vacant office and she all but threw herself at him. Not that he seemed to mind. Just the opposite. So why the silent treatment now?

"Wayne, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have forced myself on you…."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" he asked quizzically "You can't honestly believe that I didn't want what happened earlier to happen can you? Or are you sorry it happened?"

The waitress picked that moment to return with their order. Once she had left the table more silence. Wayne looked like he had been punched in the stomach and all he could do was pick at his pie.

"I'm not sorry it happened. Just the opposite. But I am confused. Why are you so withdrawn?"

"Look Grace, what did you expect was going to happen when you asked me to meet you at your car?"

"I guess we would decide whose place to go back to. We would of course have to go in 2 vehicles since we couldn't risk leaving one in the parking lot, and then we would.."

"Hook up?" he interrupted

'I uh..um.. guess that is the vernacular used now so yeah."

Wayne grinned at her stammering and reached over and took one of her hands which had been slowly shredding her napkin "Grace I do not want to hook up with you." He watched as her face clouded over and she seemed to close herself off from him so he quickly added "I want to be with you." He watched as her eyes lifted from the spot on the table she had been studying and looked directly into his eyes. Then he continued "I know it sounds crazy, sometimes I can't believe it myself but I see a future for us Grace. Hook up sounds so temporary and without feeling. I want to date you. Get to know more about you, and have you learn more about me. Then when the time is right, for both of us, I want our first time to be slow and romantic. Not rushed and hurried at the end of a long day so we can both get enough sleep before work in the morning. Can you wait?"

As he spoke Grace could feel the heaviness that had set in dissipate. Before he finished there were tears rolling down her cheeks. No one had ever said anything so romantic to her before. Wayne Rigsby was one big contradiction. A gentle giant. All she could do was nod her head.

Wayne grinned across the table at her as he squeezed her hand. "So Grace how about we go out for cheeseburger Friday night. With onion rings of course."


	2. Cheeseburgers and Bowling

It was 6:30 Friday night and Wayne Rigsby was on his way to pick up the woman of his dreams for their first real date. He didn't need to look in the mirror to know he was grinning from ear to ear. Since he knew she liked cheeseburgers as much as he did, he chose Chili's for their dinner and then bowling. Grace grew up around athletics so he was sure this would meet with her approval.

The past couple of days at work were easier than he thought they would be. No one seemed to notice a difference in his relationship with Agent Van Pelt, and if they did, they kept it to themselves. That was how he decided to handle his feelings. He had a working relationship with Agent Van Pelt, but he was dating (at least he hoped it did not end tonight) Grace. As long as he could keep them separate he should be OK.

Grace opened the door and what she saw took her breath away. Wayne was casually dressed in jeans, a blue button down shirt and his hair was all spiky. Just the way she liked it. And the smile he had on his face made her feel all warm and mushy because she knew it was reserved just for her.

"Hey Grace, ready to go?"

"Uh yeah OK, just let me grab my bag and jacket." Grace reached over and picked up her jean jacket and a small purse. "You look great by the way. I love your hair like that."

Rigsby did not think his grin could get any bigger but he was wrong. Hearing that Grace noticed him, and liked what she saw, made him feel 10 feet tall. As they headed toward his car Jane's voice kept echoing in his head. "Love and affection. Love and affection." As they reached the car, he reached over and took Grace's hand, brought it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.

The butterflies in Grace's stomach started break dancing. Could he really be the one? Wayne had already told her that he could see a future with her and if all he wanted was to get her in bed he could have accomplished that already. She just needed to relax and trust him. Trust her instincts.

Dinner was relaxed and fun. They shared case stories they worked on before transferring to CBI. When Wayne suggested they go bowling, Grace accepted but she was a little nervous. She was raised in a competitive family. Most guys she dated could not handle the fact that she was better then them at a lot of sporting activities.

Two hours after arriving at the bowling alley Grace had beaten Wayne soundly at a couple of games. Not that he was a bad bowler, just not as good as she was. Now he was sitting on a bar stool surrounded by women. They were all watching as Grace was beating all of their boyfriends and husbands at a shoot off. And Wayne could not have been more proud of her. This must be what people mean when they say 'over the moon'. Two years ago if anyone had told him he would meet the woman of his dreams and fall in love at first sight he would have laughed at them. Back then he didn't even date much. Most of the women he met were only interested in him for his looks. Not that he considered himself that good looking, but women seemed to. He attributed most of the attraction to his height. Then Grace Van Pelt walked into his life. He just knew from that first moment that she was his special someone.

Grace had just made another strike putting her so far in front that winning was a foregone conclusion. She turned around and saw Wayne beaming at her. He showed no sign of being jealous or upset at her victories. As she walked over to him she heard one of the women ask "Is that your girlfriend?" "She sure is." He answered proudly.

Grace approached and reached for the beer that was sitting on the bar at Wayne's elbow. She turned around to watch the action and leaned back against his chest. His arms went around her waist and as her head relaxed on his shoulder he turned his head and kissed her gently on the temple. She had to be the one he thought. I have never felt this happy in my life.

All too soon for Rigsby they were in his car heading toward Grace's apartment. "So did you have fun?"

Grace turned and smiled broadly at him "That was probably the most fun I have had since moving to Sacramento." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you Wayne."

"So um do we need to wait until next week to do it again?" he asked shyly

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know, we still have 2 days before going back to work. I don't want to be pushy, but I can't get enough of you."

"Well I do have to do laundry and run some errands tomorrow. Then there is church on Sunday morning but…"

"Why don't I go with you?"

"To church?"

"Sure then we can get some lunch and...." Rigsby could tell Grace was reluctant "Look Grace, I know how important church is to you. It is part of what makes you..well..you. I want to experience it with you. Please?"

"OK, I'll pick you up this time. 10:00 am?"

"Great. We're here. Let me get your door."

Wayne walked around the car and opened the passenger side door. They walked to Grace's apartment holding hands. Once Grace had opened the front door Wayne leaned down and kissed her on the cheek and then brushed his lips across hers. "Good night Grace, I love you."

And then he was gone.

Grace Van Pelt stood there watching him walk back to his car. How was she going to get anything done tomorrow? All she was going to be able to do was think about was seeing Wayne again on Sunday. She groaned loudly and went into her apartment and shut the door.

Rigsby got into his car and sat trying to get himself under control. He sure hoped he could convince Grace that they were right for each other soon. He was lovesick and she was the only cure.


	3. Lazy Sunday

On Sunday morning Grace Van Pelt arrived at Wayne Rigsby's apartment at 10:00 am on the dot. Lucky for him Wayne knew she would and he was ready and waiting for her.

She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek "Ready?"

"Yeah, sure." As he locked his door he could not help but notice she seemed a little nervous.

They walked to her car silently and got in. Rigsby knew something was up but decided to wait until they were under way before addressing the issue.

Once they were on the main road he broke the silence "So you want to give me some hints?"

"Hints? Hints about what?"

"Well I can't help but notice how nervous you are, soooo hints on what to do, or not to do, so you are not embarrassed."

"The only way I would not be embarrassed is if you did not walk into church with me." She replied without thinking. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his face fall and he quickly turned his head to look out the passenger window. "Oh no! I did not mean it like that! When was the last time you were in church?"

"I don't know, I guess when I was a kid. My grandmother would take us once in a while, but nothing regular. I guess I haven't been since I was 18 or so, why?"

"Churches tend to be like an extended family. So imagine every service you attend being a family reunion. Questions like; who are you seeing? Is it serious? When do we get to meet him? Since I am still fairly new to Sacramento I have been able to get away with dismissing the questions by saying I am concentrating on getting settled in my job. Now, I'm going to walk in with someone who looks like you….."

Wayne grinned broadly "So you think I'm attractive?"

Grace looked over at his beaming face and she softened, he really did not realize how good looking he was. But that only made him more attractive. "You know you are good looking Wayne."

"What I think doesn't count here. Only what you think."

"I'm just afraid that some people will ask questions you are not ready to answer, or make comments about our future that embarrasses you."

"Don't worry Grace. I promise I will not be embarrassed by well meaning church going citizens pushing you into my arms." His grin got wider "As a matter of fact, I think I would appreciate the help."

Grace finally relaxed. This might not be so bad. The only problem she could see was she was beginning to believe this was the man she wanted in her life. How was that going to affect her job?

As Grace pulled into the church parking lot Rigsby looked around. This suited her. They drove for about 25 minutes and passed many churches. Now he could see why. They were on the outskirts of the city, and the church they were attending was small. Bigger than a chapel, but definitely not as big as the churches in the city. It looked like it belonged in a small farming town in the mid west.

As Grace came around the vehicle, Wayne offered her his elbow. She smiled up at him and took hold of his arm.

Grace was right. As they walked into the Sanctuary Wayne could feel the eyes on him. He could also see women leaning into one another whispering. He could see Grace's point. If he was only interested in a casual relationship, he would be feeling uneasy right now. But he actually felt proud. Judging by what Grace had told him in the car, he was the first man she brought to meet her 'extended family.'

As they were sitting in one of the pews waiting for the service to begin Wayne felt something grab his leg. He looked down and smiled. Attached to his leg was a little girl about 1 year old who was looking up at him with her almost toothless grin. He leaned down and picked her up and set her in his lap. Grace smiled "You have an admirer already." She whispered to him.

"Do you know who she is?" he asked her. Grace looked around "Yeah her mother is the woman over there frantically looking for her." She waved to get the young mother's attention and pointed to the young girl now happily sitting in Rigsby's lap playing with his tie.

"Thanks Grace. I thought she was asleep but when I went to check on her she had slipped away." She then turned her attention to Wayne "Hi I'm Marie McGowen. And you have already met young Shannon here."

"Wayne, Wayne Rigsby. Nice to meet you. And it was a pleasure meeting Shannon."

As Marie reached down to collect her daughter she started to cry and reach back toward Rigsby. "I guess it's the nursery for her today. Sorry she disturbed you."

"No, she did not disturb me at all. I enjoyed meeting her." Once Marie had left with a now crying Shannon Wayne looked over at Grace who was not able to hide the glee on her face.

"You really made an impression on Shannon. Do I have a reason to be jealous?"

"Well you know I do have a thing for red heads. But I also have a job where being a child predator would get me fired, so no." Grace giggled. "Besides I'm a one woman man, a steady relationship type of guy. And I'm hoping that I'm already spoken for." She looked deep into his eyes and knew he was serious. All she could do was nod her head.

As they were leaving after the service they again ran into Shannon. This time in the arms of her father, Tim. Now she as playing shy, hiding her face in her father's shoulder, peeking out only occasionally before hiding again.

After a few minutes of small talk Marie joined them. "So has my husband been polite and asked you to join us for lunch at the park?"

Wayne looked over at Grace and saw her nod. "OK sure. We can stop along the way and pick up some food.."

"Actually..that will not be necessary. I have a picnic lunch in a cooler in the back of my car." Grace interrupted.

As they walked to the car Wayne broke the silence "So you came prepared?"

"Well I am aware of the protocol for nice days, so yes I came prepared. Besides I know you. Anywhere that you go, food must be along for the ride." They got into the car laughing.

"So if you knew there was a possibility of a picnic, why didn't you tell me?'

Grace looked over at him and stammered "I um I uh I guess I wanted it to be your idea. I didn't want you to feel obligated."

Rigsby reached over and took her hand. As they stopped at a red light he spoke "Grace look at me." She looked over at him shyly. "Don't ever think that I don't want to spend time with you. I don't care if we sit and stare at each other. Where ever you are is where I want to be. So promise me something." He waited for her to nod "If there is anything you want to do, and you want me there with you, just tell me OK?" Grace nodded as he brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. Just then the car behind them honked it's horn, the light had turned green.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Grace had brought a cooler filled with sandwiches, juice, bottled water and of course carrot sticks. She also had a bag with chips and cookies. There was also a blanket to spread on the ground. That explained Grace's choice of skirt. It was a long flowy cotton skirt perfect for sitting on the ground with modesty.

There were about 25 people in their area of the park that Sunday afternoon. There was some tossing of a football, throwing Frisbees and even horseshoes. But mostly everyone was just interested in relaxing. Recouping from a hard week and getting ready for a new one.

All too soon for Wayne and Grace everyone started packing up to go home. It was getting late and the families with kids needed to get them home and ready for the school week.

After loading the car with the leftover picnic items Wayne was headed back to where Grace was talking to a couple of young women when he was stopped by an older woman "Excuse me, Wayne isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm Sophie Thompson. Nice to meet you. Would you mind helping me to my car? After a long day I think I need help with all of this stuff."

"No trouble at all ma'am." Wayne gathered together Sophie Thompson's things and followed her to her car. Once everything was stowed away in the trunk he turned to see Ms. Thompson staring at him.

"I can see you are smitten, as they used to say, with our Grace. Yes?"

Wayne nodded "Very much so."

"And she with you. It's obvious from the way she looks at you when you are not looking. But you will need to be cautious. For some reason she's afraid of getting too close. She has a very dangerous job you know."

"Yes ma'am I work with her at CBI. And don't worry, I will take it as slow as Grace wants."

Wayne opened the driver's door for her and helped her in. He was going to like having Ms. Thompson as an ally. As he turned to go back to where Grace was waiting for him she was staring at him but looked away quickly. Rigsby chuckled to himself Ms. Thompson and Jane would get along well he thought.

Rigsby trotted back to where Grace was still talking to a small group of her friends. After a few more pleasantries everyone started heading toward their vehicles to go home. Grace was looking a little tired so Rigsby took her keys from her, settled her in the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat for the drive home. Once at his apartment they both got out and Grace started to walk around to the driver's side. Wayne caught her at the back of the vehicle and drew her to him for a short sweet kiss. "Goodnight Grace. I love you. I'll see you at work in the morning." Grace stayed in his arms for a few more seconds and then pulled his head down for another kiss, this one a little more passionate.

Once they broke apart Wayne opened the car door and made sure Grace was safely inside before walking to his door. Grace drove a short distance to the stop sign at the end of the street. She looked in her rear view mirror and seeing no one behind her laid her forehead on the steering wheel. She was a goner.


	4. Rainy Days and Mondays

Rigsby walked into the offices of CBI early on Monday morning. Jane was already there sleeping, or pretending to sleep, on the brown leather sofa. Agent Cho had just arrived and had not yet finished settling into his desk for the day.

"Morning" Rigsby called as he passed by on the way to his desk.

Cho stopped what he was doing and looked over at Jane who had gotten up as soon as Rigsby arrived. "Well?" Cho asked him

"Well what?" Rigsby asked with a short chuckle.

"You and Van Pelt. Any progress?"

"Nah. I never even spoke to her after Friday afternoon."

Cho looked at Jane with raised eyebrows. Jane looked closely at Rigsby trying to determine if he was telling the truth. "I…..don't…..know for sure. He certainly wants to believe what he is saying. So either he did not see Van Pelt this weekend, or they worked out some sort of code."

"Code, you've got to be kidding." Cho just shook his head.

"Yes. Pet names if you will. Then he would convince himself that he was not with Agent Van Pelt, but wiiiith Grace." Jane said with a flourish turning sharply to look at Rigsby.

Rigsby had booted up his computer and was studying the screen intently trying to ignore his two colleagues.

"Huh. Does that really work?" Cho wanted to know.

"Eh. Sometimes. But let's not forget that Agent Rigsby here is a trained interrogator. Although he has never been able to hide his feelings for Grace" again he turned sharply and looked Rigsby directly in the eye "he might be able to hide the truth when she is not in the room. Only time will tell, and by the footsteps I hear coming down the hall, not much time."

At that exact moment Agent Grace Van Pelt came around the corner with her Coffee Cart Latte in her hand. "Good morning all" she called brightly.

"Morning" both Cho and Jane called in unison.

Rigsby continued to study whatever was on his computer and did not respond at all.

Van Pelt's face fell just a little as she took her seat and started to boot up her computer.

Jane walked over to Rigsby's desk "Agent Rigsby" he prodded.

Rigsby looked at him for a split second "Huh?"

"Agent Van Pelt said 'Good Morning' don't you have something to say to her?"

"Oh yeah, hey Van Pelt." Rigsby threw at her before returning to his task.

Van Pelt shook her head in disgust and went about opening up the files she would need to work on this morning. They had not caught a case since clearing up the Foster case, so the only thing any of them had to do was clear up the backlog of paperwork and then look as some cold case files to see if any new information could be found.

Special Agent Theresa Lisbon walked through the squad room on the way to her office. She slowed down as she noticed how quiet the room was. All 3 of her agents were in place and Jane was laying on his couch, but no one was talking. They had no active cases so the quiet was just eerie. "Jane!"

"Hm yes?"

"With me."

"Yes ma'am."

Once in her office with the door shut she looked sharply at Jane "What did you do?"

"Me? Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"Oh I don't know….experience!"

"Not this time, actually not that often. I think I should be offended that you assume I am the cause of any tension in the squad room…."

"Oh cut the crap. Be offended all you want, just tell me what is going on!"

"I was trying to ascertain that right before you came in. I believe it has something to do with plans Rigsby had for the weekend."

"What? Oh great. See, this is why there are rules. So they finally gave in and slept together and now they can't stand to be in the same room together."

"I don't think that is the case."

"You don't THINK they went out?"

"No I KNOW they went out. I don't believe they slept together…yet."

"Then what? One of them turned the other down?"

"No, no. I believe they went out, had a wonderful time, but now they, and by they I mean mostly Rigsby, are trying so hard to hide their feelings that they cannot look at each other."

Lisbon sat behind her desk and put her head in her hands. "I need aspirin." Opening up a drawer she found the bottle and managed to get 2 out and swallow them with her coffee. "So Cupid what do we do now?"

"We? Nothing. You on the other hand need to talk to them. Give them permission to be young and in love."

"Rules Jane. I know you don't believe they apply to you, but my agents know they apply to them. This is exactly why the rules exist."

"Oh please. How could following the rules have prevented this? We all know that both of them have been fighting their feelings, because of the rules, for over a year now. Relax Lisbon. Trust them. Let them know that you will support them until there is a problem."

"I don't know…."

"Lisbon believe me. You can't always choose who you love. Do you really want to see both of them unhappy just because they like their jobs?"

"No, of course not." She moaned.

"OK then" Jane said cheerily with a clap of the hands. "I will handle this." Lisbon's head snapped up at that.

"You? Why you?"

"Because then you still have deniability. If you don't know, officially that is, you cannot stop them."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but OK. Go. Take care of it. But if by the end of the week everyone on the team is not operating as a cohesive unit I will intervene. Got it?"

"Absolutely. Thanks Lisbon. I promise you will not regret this."

"I already do. Now get out. And close the door behind you."

Jane walked back into the squad room and found it exactly as he left it. Both Van Pelt and Rigsby were concentrating hard on whatever was on their computer screens. Cho was sitting at his desk trying to complete a file while looking up and glancing at his team mates.

"Wow I'm a little hungry. Rigsby, join me for a snack?"

"Huh, sure." Rigsby followed Jane into the small break area and watched as he took out a bakery box with muffins and offered him one.

Jane then went about the task of making a cup of tea for himself while Rigsby poured himself a glass of Mango Juice.

Once they were seated with their muffins and beverages Jane opened the conversation. "So, what really happened with Van Pelt this weekend?"

"I told you nothing happened between me and Van Pelt."

"OK, Ok. What really happened between Wayne and Grace this weekend?"

Rigsby shyly looked around before answering softly. "It was the best weekend of my life!"

Jane's eyes gleamed over his cup of tea. "So why the cold shoulder to her this morning?"

"I am just so afraid that if I look at her, everyone will know how I feel."

Jane chuckled "Too late for that. Everyone already knows how you feel. Now you just have to figure out a way of not wearing your feelings on your sleeve, or in our case, your face."

Rigsby sighed heavily "It's just….the rules."

Jane waved his hand in the air "Rules. Come on Rigsby. You're a cop. You spend most of your day pushing the envelope on rules. I believe that if you and Van Pelt can manage to work as a cohesive unit, no one will be concerned about the rules." Rigsby looked up at him in disbelief. "What you don't believe me? What is the purpose of this particular rule? If you can be with Van Pelt and both of you do your jobs efficiently what excuse can they have for transferring one of you. Think about it."

Jane took one last swallow of his tea just as Van Pelt came into the break room. "Oh, I.I.I'm sorry. I'll come back later."

"No, Grace wait." Van Pelt stopped at the sound of Rigsby calling her by her given name. "Jane was just leaving. Please stay."

Jane got up and quietly left the room. Grace sat down in the seat he had just vacated.

"Grace, I'm really sorry about earlier. I was just so sure that Jane and Cho would know about us if I so much as looked in your direction, let alone spoke to you. I guess I went a little too far. Forgive me?"

Grace's face softened as she relaxed "Sure, I guess I understand. But next time give me a heads up OK?"

"Sure." Rigsby face broke out into his trademark goofy grin. "I guess I need to get back to my desk before Cho or Lisbon come looking for me."

"OK. Oh by the way Marie McGowen e-mailed me. She wants us to come over for dinner next Saturday night."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I would check with you and let her know."

"Guess we have a date for Saturday night then huh?"

"Looks that way. See you in a couple of minutes."

Rigsby returned to his desk grinning and Van Pelt was fixing herself a fresh cup of coffee with a lighter step. They would work this out. They had to. Both knew that they belonged together, but neither really wanted to give up their jobs just yet.


	5. God Bless the Little Children

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Somer Thompson

Tuesday morning the Serious Crimes Team was called in to help look for a 7 year old girl who had disappeared on her way home from school the day before. Although there was no evidence of a crime, serious or otherwise, all Law Enforcement Agencies were called into service. Any agent not working a current case was in the Hyde Grove neighborhood canvassing all of the residents and looking for clues.

Sydney Turkson was walking home from school with her twin brother and older sister. She got into an argument with her brother, and when her sister told her to stop arguing she ran ahead of them. 12 minutes later when her brother and sister arrived home Sydney was no where to be found. Mrs. Turkson returned from work at 5:00 to find her young daughter no where to be found. She immediately started calling neighbors and friends but no one had seen Sydney since she ran ahead of her siblings. Finally at 5:20 pm she had to make the call no parent wants to make. She called the police to report her daughter missing.

The local authorities spent all night searching before they called for reinforcements. Lisbon took the call. She took Jane and Cho with her leaving Van Pelt and Rigsby to continue clearing up paperwork and answering the phone.

Rigsby was working on the files while Van Pelt was searching for cold case clues on her computer. Suddenly Van Pelt gasped. Rigsby immediately got up and went over to see what she was looking at. "New pictures of Sydney?"

"Huh, what, no this is my sister's Facebook page. The picture is of her daughter, Amy."

"Wow the resemblance is amazing."

"I know and it's creeping me out!" Van Pelt immediately minimized the photo and jumped up from her seat and practically ran for the break room with Rigsby close at her heels.

She stood at the counter with both hands holding her up visibly shaking. Rigsby walked over and turned her toward him and wrapped his arms around her. Both jumped when they heard footsteps heading their way. Rigsby quickly ushered Van Pelt into Lisbon's office and shut the door. Van Pelt immediately melted into his strong embrace and started crying.

"Hey hey Grace. It's OK." Rigsby murmured all the while stroking his hands up and down Grace's back. "Amy is safe and sound in Ohio, right?" Grace nodded. "I know, but…." She could not continue. They stood this way for what seemed like forever. Not that either minded. There was no where Grace or Wayne would rather be at that moment in time.

Grace took a deep cleansing breath and pulled away from Wayne. She took a seat in one of the visitor chairs and Wayne pulled the other one directly In front of her. He took her hands in his and found they were still shaking.

Grace took another breath before speaking "I got another e-mail from Marie McGowen."

"Are we still on for Saturday?" Wayne asked lightly thinking she was changing the subject.

"Yes, well, maybe. They live right around the corner from the Turkson's. As a matter of fact the corner where she disappeared is the turn for their community."

Wayne squeezed Grace's hands again and she continued "As a matter of fact they spent the whole night awake because the police were searching their house and property and all of the other homes in the area."

"Sounds like standard procedure."

Grace's head snapped up and she glared at him "Thanks Agent Rigsby." She said sarcastically "I must have missed that class at the Academy!"

Grace tried to stand up but Rigsby had a hold of her hands and managed to keep her in place. "Come on Grace. You know as well as I do that the best thing we can do for Sydney is to follow up the leads given to us and bring her home safely." He paused giving her time to digest what he was saying.

She looked up shyly knowing he was right. She gave him a slight smile and tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Wayne reached back and got her a tissue from Lisbon's desk.

Once she had cleaned up a little Grace stood and headed for the door planning on going to the Ladies Room to compose herself.

Just as she got to the office door she turned around and reached up to cup Wayne's cheek with her hand gently stroking his lips with her thumb. "Thank you Wayne."

Wayne kissed her forehead. He then leaned forward so his forehead was resting on hers. "Anytime Grace. I love you."

At 4:00 Tuesday afternoon they got the news they had been waiting for. Sydney Turkson was home safe and sound. There was a vacant house in the neighborhood that was undergoing extensive renovations due to a fire. Sydney had wandered into the house and fallen asleep. The windows and doors were all sealed up tight from the outside and the search parties could not see in. Finally one of the officers realized that it was the only property in the area that had not been searched. They found Sydney curled up in a ball crying just inside the front door.

Closed Case Pizza never tasted so good. Even though it was not technically their case, everyone agreed that the outcome was worth celebrating.

* * *

A/N: I had to change the ending. Little Somer did not make it and the monster that killed her is still out there. Unfortunately I was able to call on real life to write this story. Friends of ours live just around the corner from where she disappeared and experienced their home and property being searched. We were at their home shortly after this happened. Also my husband's niece is the spitting image of Somer. It was very hard for us to see the news reports and watch her face splashed across the TV screen. All we saw was one of ours.


	6. A Quiet Weekend

The rest of the week was busy at CBI. The Serious Crimes Team was assigned to find the killer of Kirby Hines. Before they could get started, Sam Bosco had Patrick Jane arrested for planting a listening device in his office. A couple of long hard days followed as the unit worked to solve the case and also to help one of their own.

By Saturday night Wayne and Grace were relieved to just go spend a couple of hours in a peaceful setting. Marie and Tim McGowen were an open and friendly couple. And their daughter Shannon was a delight to be around. After 5 days of chaos and mayhem, not to mention trying to hide their feelings for each other, the new couple could finally relax and just be themselves.

Grace was in the kitchen helping Marie get dinner on the table leaving the two men talking.

Tim McGowen broke the ice "So how long have you known Grace?"

"A little over a year now. Since she moved to Sacramento. You?"

"Since she started to attend our congregation, maybe 9 or 10 months. Shannon was only a couple of months old. So, how long have you been in love with her?"

"That obvious?"

"Only to anyone with eyes."

Before Wayne could respond there was a burst of laughter from the kitchen. Wayne looked nervously in that direction.

Tim chuckled and said "Yes they are talking about us. Or at least about you."

In the kitchen the women were enjoying a few minutes of girl talk. Of course Marie was just enjoying talking to another adult woman after spending much of her day with a one year old.

"So Wayne seems really sweet, not to mention easy on the eyes."

Grace beamed "Yeah, he is. Both."

"You really love him?"

"I think so. I'm just so torn. At this point I can't imagine my life without him…."

"But….."

"But it's against the rules. One or both of us could lose our jobs."

"Grace I know you're still relatively new to your job and you don't want to risk losing it…."

"But…." Grace smiled slightly

"But there are other jobs. A man who looks at you the way Wayne does comes along once in a lifetime if you're lucky. Some women are never that lucky."

Just then Shannon who had been sitting quietly in her high chair let out a loud "Yes!"

Her mother smiled broadly and pointed at Grace "See even a 1 year old can see it."

Both women burst out laughing.

The evening came to an end too soon for both couples but the McGowens knew that they could not count on their offspring allowing them to sleep in late.

As Wayne opened the passenger side door for Grace she reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him passionately.

"Grace please tell me what I did to deserve that. I want to make sure I keep doing it."

Grace slid wordlessly into the passenger seat of Rigsby's vehicle.

After driving in silence for a few blocks in silence, Wayne spoke up "So you picking me up at 10:00 tomorrow?"

Grace turned to look in his direction but could not read his face to the dark conditions in the vehicle.

"You don't have to go to church with me every week Wayne. I understand that it's not something you usually do."

"Not something I usually did, but I enjoyed last Sunday. It could become a habit for me." Wayne tried to look at her reaction but again the darkness prevented him from gauging what she was feeling.

Suddenly Wayne felt her fingers gently stroking his face and he groaned in response. Grace continued to caress as much of his face, back and shoulders as she could reach. Finally Wayne could take no more "Grace, honey, as good as that feels you really need to stop while I am driving." He croaked.

"If you say so." She replied as she withdrew her hand back into her lap.

A short time later they were parked in front of Grace's apartment building making out like teenagers. Neither could explain how it happened. One second Rigsby was putting the vehicle in park the next Grace was practically in his lap and their lips were fused together. When they finally broke apart gasping for air Wayne noticed over Grace's shoulder that the windows were completely fogged over. "We'd better take this inside before the local cops come tapping on the window." He groaned "Can't you imagine Lisbon's face if that report makes it to her desk!"

Grace smiled and slid back into her seat and waited for Wayne to open her door. She grinned to herself about how easily she had become used to the gentlemanly courtesies that Wayne insisted she deserved.

They walked slowly to her front door enjoying the beautiful California night. Once Grace had unlocked the door she opened it wide and waited for Wayne to step inside with her. Wayne continued to stand outside her door rocking from one foot to the other but made no move to go inside.

"Aren't you coming in?" Grace asked

"Not tonight. We both need a good night's sleep." Grace's face fell and Wayne quickly reached out and pulled her to him. He kissed her soundly and then whispered in her ear "Soon Grace. Soon." And then he was gone.

Grace was sure she would not be able to sleep that night. But she was wrong. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was sound asleep.

Rigsby got back in his vehicle and turned the defroster on high to clear the windows. As he waited he tried not to look back towards her door. If he did he was sure he would lose control and going running back begging for admittance. He knew she was not ready yet. Wayne Rigsby loved Grace Van Pelt more than anything in the world. If it came down to a choice between the CBI and Grace, CBI would lose. He could find another job. He would never to able to replace Grace. He knew in his heart that she loved him. He could see it in her eyes, plus Jane had told him so and as irritating as Jane could be he was always right about these things. But for some reason she was holding back on admitting how she felt. And until she could admit it, she was not ready to move the relationship forward. As eager as Rigsby was to go to the next level, he would wait for her. As long as it took because he had no where else to go.

Grace appeared at Wayne's door at 10:00 sharp on Sunday morning. They drove the 25 minutes to the church making small talk. Once there they walked in hand in hand greeting new friends along the way. In the bulletin there was an announcement for a Sunday Afternoon activity. It was a "Young Adults Outing" playing miniature golf. Grace looked excitedly at Wayne as they read the announcement but found him scowling. "You're young and technically you are an adult." She teased him.

"Grace, I've never played miniature golf. I don't know how."

"Is that all?" she beamed. "I can teach you."

"Grace, I.I.I don't know. I'm still pretty new here. I don't want to look stupid in front of your friends."

"And you think a girl teaching you to play miniature golf will make you look stupid?"

"No, not knowing how to play miniature golf will make me look stupid!"

"Come on. It's all in fun. Not everyone there will know how to play. Besides, I'm a really good teacher. I'll make you look good."

Wayne grinned "Just having you at my side makes me look good! OK, I'll give it a try."

Grace had the sudden urge to kiss him right then and there. She remembered where they were just in time to avoid embarrassing them both.

As Grace drove them home that evening, Wayne reflected on the day. After the service several of the young adults who would be going on the miniature golf outing went for a quick lunch at a local eatery. Grace was right. She was a good teacher. He found himself understanding the game very quickly and actually scored pretty well for a first timer.

Grace dropped Wayne off in front of his apartment building and headed home. She was really starting to feel insecure. What was he waiting for? She knew he loved her. He told her everyday and she could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her. And she knew she loved him. That admission made her feel uneasy. She did not know why exactly, but maybe they would have time to sit down and talk this week. Time to lay everything out on the table. Little did she know what the week would hold.


	7. The Shots Heard Round the CBI

Jane sat on his sofa and looked from the file in his hand to the closed door of Lisbon's office. Making his decision he got up and took the file into her office.

"Lisbon?" he called softly as he opened the door. The room was dark and he could just barely make out her silhouette sitting in the chair behind her desk. In the brief flash of light from the hallway as he shut the door he noticed a ½ empty bottle of tequila on her desk. He did not see a glass so he wondered if she was drinking directly from the bottle. As the door clicked shut she raised the hand that was hanging limply at her side. There was the glass. "Have a shot." She slurred. Realizing what she said she snorted. "Bad choice of words."

Jane sat down in one of the guest chairs in front of the desk. "Bosco gave me a copy of the Red John file. I tried to get the originals, but I guess this is a good first step."

Lisbon poured a drink and held it out to him. "Don't change the subject."

Jane accepted the glass and drank it down. "I didn't realize we had a subject yet."

"One of my agents was shot today!" she all but yelled at him.

"Yes. An unfortunate turn of events. But an everyday possibility given your line of work. But, she is home recovering now and hopefully everyone learned a valuable lesson about the importance of Kevlar."

"Home recovering. Probably under Rigsby's watchful eye." Lisbon paused for a moment contemplating her next shot of tequila. "SEE THIS IS WHY THERE ARE RULES!" she yelled across the desk at him.

Jane had been staring at the file in his hand. He wanted to open it immediately, but knew that right now Lisbon's state of mind was more important. He was hoping he could entice her to open it with him, but she had to get out whatever was bothering her first. She needed a clear head to deal with Red John, but the tequila had taken that from her temporarily anyway.

At her last statement his head shot up. "Rules? Is there a rule about wearing a vest every time an agent leaves the office?" when she did not respond he continued "You can't possibly believe that any of this was caused by the feelings Rigsby and Van Pelt have for each other?"

Lisbon did not answer. In her heart she knew that nothing today was caused or even exacerbated by the two agents having 'feelings' for each other. But there were rules and she knew that sooner or later she was going to have to deal with the situation.

"No." she muttered barely above a whisper.

"As a matter of fact, if you review the situation it proves that agents in love can do their job effectively."

"How so?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, it was the animosity between Bosco's team and your team that actually had Rigsby's attention averted from his partner. But even that was not the cause of Van Pelt getting shot. There are a lot of bad people out there who do bad things to good people."

Lisbon had settled back in her chair and was listening to Jane's soothing voice of reason.

Jane looked over to see if Lisbon was listening before he continued "Rigsby did everything by the book once the shooting happened. He took control of the situation and assessed his partner's injuries before going out and taking down the bad guy, or girl in this case. Lisbon he left the woman he loves lying on the floor writhing in pain and went and did his job. Admirably at that. What more can you expect from any agent?"

"But did you see his face as they were loading her into the ambulance?"

"Yes. Yes I did. And it was no more pitiful than you face is right now."

"Gee thanks."

"What do you think Rigsby would have done differently if it was Cho or even you who were shot today?"

Lisbon had no answer. She knew that if it was any agent, especially a female, Rigsby would have been beside himself. As far as what she witnessed outside of the ambulance she could just as easily have chalked that up to guilt. His partner, any partner got shot while he was going at it with another agent. "You are probably right, this time. But what about next time?"

"Don't worry about what hasn't happened yet."

"I'm too tired to argue with you." Lisbon laid her head down on her desk. "You brought a file you wanted me to look at?"

"No offense Lisbon but you're no use to me in this condition. Come on let's get you home. We can get a fresh start in the morning." He stood up and got the glass from her desk taking it to the break room where he washed it out and put it away. He then went back to Lisbon's office and put the bottle of tequila in the bottom drawer before helping her to her feet and out to his car.

Once he had gotten her home and into her front door she finally spoke. "Jane you do know when all of this does blow up I will tell you 'I told you so' don't you?"

Jane smiled "I'll be expecting it." He said as he closed her door and headed home.

Rigsby did not know how he made it through the rest of the day. He must have been on auto pilot. He followed orders and instinct until the day was done. Now he was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital waiting for Grace to be released. She was going to be on desk duty for a while, and in a lot of pain but eventually she would heal 100%.

His hands still shook when he thought about that moment when the shots rang out. When he looked out of the door and saw Grace on the floor it took every once of control he had to not lose it. Once he assured himself she was OK, or at least not in danger of dying, he put all of his focus into doing his job. Lisbon almost caught on as he watched Grace being put into the ambulance. But he thought he covered pretty well. He would have been upset at what happened no matter who his partner that day was. Even Hicks or Bosco.

Just then he saw Grace being wheeled down the hall toward him. He stood up and waited until the nurse stopped right in front of him. "Mr. Rigsby?" Wayne nodded. "She's all yours."

Wayne's heart swelled at her words. He was about to step forward and take the wheelchair from the nurse when he saw her lean down and she and Grace whispered back and forth. Both women started laughing and turned to look at him. Wayne then hesitated until Grace reached out and took his hand "Take me home."

Once Wayne had Grace comfortably settled in the car he got in and started toward her apartment. "So can I get in on the joke"

"Joke? What joke?"

"You, the nurse, there was a joke between you two and I got the impression that I was the center of it."

Grace looked over and tried to see his face in the dim light of the car. One day she was going to have to find out what happened to make him so insecure. He was every woman's dream. Tall, dark, handsome and strong. And those were only his outer qualities. Every place they went together she could see the heads turn to look at him. She should be the one who was insecure. Yet she knew he only had eyes for her. He loved her. Maybe it was her fault. She needed to reassure him that he was the only one for her. She reached over and cupped his cheek. "I'll tell you once we get home. I don't want you driving into oncoming traffic."

He reached up and brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss before letting fall down between them. Once they reached Grace's apartment Wayne helped her inside and got her settled comfortably in her bed. He sat down in a chair in the corner and started to read the discharge instructions from the ER. "Wayne why are sitting all the way over there? Come sit next to me."

"Um Grace, um…I, um.."

"Wayne, I trust you. You are not going to take advantage of me in this condition. Both of us want our first time to be special. How special would it be if I couldn't move…." Grace stopped as she saw all of the color drain from Wayne's face. "Wayne what's wrong? We both want this relationship to move forward right?" Wayne nodded. He was paralyzed listening to Grace talk about their first time. He had imagined it so may times and now it seemed like she was thinking about it too. As soon as she was feeling better they really needed to talk.

Wayne bent down and took off his shoes. He then stood and shrugged out of shirt and loosened his belt. Grace watched as he slowly made himself more comfortable, resisting the urge to wipe her mouth of the drool she was sure was there. "I've seen you in your boxers before…if that would be more comfortable." She managed to croak out.

Wayne looked over at her and smiled. "You enjoying the view?" he asked as he started to remove his trousers.

Grace's mouth opened and closed without any words coming out. She finally had the man of her dreams in her bedroom, undressing, and she could not do a thing about it. These ribs had better heal fast.

Wayne slid gently into the bed beside Grace and propped himself up against the headboard. He went back to reading the discharge instructions to Grace. A home nurse would be by for a couple of days to help with her with bathing and such. All other activities were restricted only by how she tolerated them. She would not be running any marathons for a while, but she should be able to move about albeit gingerly. The pain medications would help with that.

"So, you going to let me in on the joke now?" he asked her grinning.

Grace chuckled as best she could without causing herself anymore pain. "When the nurse asked me where she should take me, I told her to just take me down to the waiting room and find the handsomest man there. I would go home with him. Well, when you stood up and she realized that I was not kidding, she whispered her appreciation in my ear. I in turn told her that you were spoken for, and broken ribs or not I would take her down if she even looked at you."

For the second time in just a couple of hours Wayne's heart swelled. Grace loved him. He knew it. Even if she could not say it. Grace Van Pelt loved him.

Grace had to sleep slightly propped up to ease the pressure on her ribs. Rigsby was able to scoot down and lay flat on the bed. That gave Grace the perfect vantage point to watch as he slept. He looked so peaceful. Gone was the line on his forehead that became more visible as he tried to fight his constant insecurity. He was good at his job. He was one of the most good looking men she had ever met. He was a genuinely good and caring person. But for some reason he doubted all of that. She had to find a way of convincing him of his qualities. For some reason he loved her. He loved her so completely and unconditionally that he was willing to wait until she was ready to love him back. She looked down at his face and found that her hand was softly stroking his forehead as he slept. "Soon Wayne. I promise." She whispered as she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Taking Care of Grace

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews. Some notes for those not signed up for replys:

I actually did not intend for the story to work around the series. I was trying to write a chapter where something happened to either W or G while together, either on a date or on duty, and then the script writers handed me Red Bulls and I decided not to mess with perfection.

I have been allowing their relationship to go slow, for now. We already know Wayne's feelings, and it seems Grace reciprocates, but so far he is the only one to verbalize. Plus there is so much backstory on both characters that has not come out yet. Both are obviously damaged by something in their past.

Now according to both will be in the same bed cuddled up together at the beginning of the next episode, so we have along way to take them this week.

* * *

The next morning Wayne woke up in Grace's bed feeling well rested and completely comfortable. This was how he wanted to wake up for the rest of his life. Well except for Grace being incapacitated of course. He looked over and found her still asleep so he went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. He then prepared some oatmeal he found in the cupboard. He went back to check on Grace and found her just getting back in bed after having been in the bathroom freshening up a bit.

"Hungry? I made you some coffee and oatmeal."

"That sounds great. Thanks." Grace thought she could get used to this. Waking up to Wayne in her home. She would have a couple of weeks off to figure out a way of making sure he never left. Of course she already knew how. Just say 3 little words. She would work on getting up the nerve.

As soon as they had both eaten the Home Nurse arrived to take care of Grace. Rigsby took this opportunity to head home and get ready for work. He would stop by his place after work and pack some things for a couple of days and then see where things went from there. He did not want Grace to feel he was moving in on her. As he opened the front door to leave Patrick Jane was just about to knock. Wayne tried to hide the panicked look on his face but Jane waved him off.

"Don't worry about it Rigsby. I would not expect you to be anywhere else. Now go get ready for work. Lisbon might not be as much of a romantic as I am."

"Thanks Jane. I'll see you in a little bit."

The next two weeks were almost an exact duplicate of that first day. Except the home nurse stopped coming by once Grace was able to take a shower on her own. Wayne woke up first, fixed breakfast, got ready for work and passed Jane as he left for the office. Since Wayne and Hicks were both involved in a deadly shooting, both were on light duty so Cho was working with Bosco's team while Hicks and Rigsby were taking care of the paperwork.

Other than Jane no one else seemed to even suspect that Rigsby was not going home at the end of each day. Wayne knew that Lisbon called Grace every day. She even stopped by to visit a couple of times. Cho called a couple of times and sent her flowers. Everyone else was getting their updates from Jane whom they knew went to see her each day before work.

Each night Rigsby went home to Grace thinking he did not know what he was going to do once she was completely healed and did not need his nightly attention. He could not imagine going back to his apartment alone ever again. Once the news of the shooting was out, the ladies from church took to preparing dinner on a nightly basis. Each night he came home there was a different offering from a different family.

One night about a week after the shooting he and Grace were just finishing up the dinner dishes when she turned to him "Take me for a walk."

"Sure. Anywhere in particular?"

"The park. I want to smell the fresh air and watch the swings swinging and people having fun!"

"OK, the park it is."

The walked a couple of blocks to a small neighborhood park. That was about all Grace could handle at one time. They found a bench and sat down.

Grace was the first to speak "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Lisbon's coming over to take me."

Wayne looked a little surprised. "Lisbon, really?"

"Well it was a work related injury….so yeah I guess she felt she should………" Grace could not believe how hard this was. She brought him to the park because Jane had said it was a safe place for him. "Wayne, we need to talk."

Rigsby looked over at her slowly "Already?" his face dropped visibly "I thought we could wait until you were ready to go back to work, but I guess I understand you need your space and…"

Grace watched as Rigsby's face went from completely relaxed to panicked with his eyes darting all around looking everywhere but at her. Wait, what did he just say. "NO! Wayne NO! I don't want you to leave. Ever. I.I..I know it's only been a week but I can't imagine waking up and not finding you there. Or eating dinner by myself or..or..or anything. Wayne look at me" Wayne turned his head and looked directly into her eyes. Grace reached out and starting caressing his cheek.

Wayne could stay silent no longer. "Grace I don't know how much pain you are in so you will have to take the lead here. Right now I want to drag you into my arms and hold on tight, but I don't want to hurt you."

Grace smiled broadly and got up moving around to sit on his lap. Wayne wrapped his arms around her gingerly. "Is this OK?"

"Perfect." She assured him as she settled in and rested her forehead against his.

They sat this way watching the sun slowly set. All too soon they had to head back to Grace's apartment.

As Rigsby came out of the bathroom he found Grace already in bed. Not propped up as she had been all week, but laying flat on her back.

"Are you OK like that?" he asked worriedly

"Yeah I think so. Just one more adjustment." With that she gingerly rolled over onto her side and slowly bent her knees slightly. "Now we can cuddle."

Wayne walked over to her side of the bed and knelt down on the floor. He searched her face for any sign of pain or discomfort. She seemed fine but he had to ask. "Are you sure? You are not in any pain?"

"No pain. I'm fine. I promise that if it becomes uncomfortable I'll let you know."

Wayne slid into bed behind her and turned onto his side. He gently put his arm around her waist. As he laid his head down he found it filled with her hair. It took a while for him to arrange her hair and get settled. It took all of Grace's self control to not laugh. Finally she felt him relax and she snuggled closer to him. There was no way she could give this up.

The next afternoon Wayne returned home to find Grace upset. He went about heating up the dinner left for them by Marie McGowen and set the table. Once dinner was ready he went in to get Grace who was still staring at the TV. He was sure she was not even paying attention to what was on.

"Grace, honey, dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, well, in order to take your pain medication you have to eat."

No response. OK different tactic. "Is it something I did? Because if it is you can tell me."

Grace turned sharply to look at him. "No, no. Please don't think that."

"Fine then come keep me company while I eat. Please?"

_Oh great puppy dog face. He knows I can't resist the puppy dog face._ Grace got up and followed him back to the table. It wasn't really his fault, she needed to do better at focusing her anger where it belonged. The only problem was there was no one to blame.

Wayne started eating by himself with Grace sitting silently across from him. "This is good. You sure you don't want to taste it?" All he got was a shake of her head. He knew she had a doctor's appointment today but Lisbon went with her and she did mention anything was amiss when she returned. "Everything go OK at the doctor today?" he asked cautiously.

"It depends on what you wanted to happen I guess." Grace answered with her face showing no emotion at all.

Wayne put his fork down "Grace look at me." Grace looked up and met his eyes. "We are in this together remember? What ever happened to upset you I want to help. You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

Grace poured herself some water and after drinking ½ the glass started "The doctor says I can probably return to work after another week. As long as I am on desk duty."

"Well that cannot have upset you. That's good news right?"

"But it will be another 4 weeks after that before I can start any physical activity."

"OK, so no yoga, no running. As soon as you are up to it you can work on getting back in shape. You're not worried that I'll be bothered if you gain a little weight are you?"

"Wayne, think about it. Yoga and running are not the only physical activities I can't do for another 4 weeks."

Wayne looked confused until it finally hit him what she was saying. He got up and walked over to where she was sitting. He knelt down on the floor in front of her and took her face in his hands. "I. Love. You. Grace Van Pelt. And I'm not going anywhere. I don't care how long we have to wait. It will happen for us and it will be spectacular." Grace giggled. They were really a couple now.

"Thank you Wayne." Grace wiped her face with a napkin. "You know this smells really good. Care to share?"

Wayne leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before standing up and fixing her a plate. They ate while making small talk about the news that Marie had shared with her while dropping off the food.

After dinner they cleaned up the kitchen together and went to watch a little TV. Snuggled up together Grace felt so safe and secure. She was sure she wanted to spend the rest of life having this man love her and loving him in return.


	9. Time Flies By

Grace was able to return to work after another week of convalescence. Although she was restricted to desk work, she was just glad to be back in the swing of things again. She was also able to hone her interrogation skills since interrogations were technically desk work and as long as she could tolerate them, Lisbon was happy to watch her rookie agent grow in this area.

The hardest part of the day was seeing Wayne. Well not seeing him, not being able to acknowledge their relationship in front of everyone. Grace found that she had gotten so used to not being around her colleagues and being able to act naturally when they were together. And acting naturally had come to mean touching, kissing and snuggling whenever they were in the same room together.

Grace Van Pelt shook her head. She could not believe how sappy she had become. In high school she had been a female "jock" with not much time for dating. Sure she went out with guys from time to time, but a steady relationship was hard to maintain with her work out schedule and school work. Then when she decided to go into law enforcement, it seemed to scare off all but the muscle bound jocks who could not talk about anything other than body fat and work out regimens. Now look at her, one glimpse of a certain 6'4" hunk of man and she felt her insides turn to goo. This must be what all the girls in high school were always whispering and giggling about.

Grace jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Lisbon looking worriedly at her and saw Cho staring at her from across the room.

"Are you OK Van Pelt?"

"Ah, yeah boss I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Do you need Cho to drive you home?"

"NO! No, I'm fine really. Sometimes the medication makes me a little spacey is all."

"OK, but if you need more time, just say so."

Cho waited until Lisbon went back into her office before walking over and sitting on the corner of Van Pelt's desk. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yeah. Just got caught daydreaming by the boss."

Cho looked around before responding "He should be back soon. He just went to Sacramento PD to pick up some files."

"Who? Rigsby? No, that's not who I was thinking about!"

Cho snorted "I may not be Jane, but even I can tell you're lying. Listen, I don't care about your relationship. As a matter of fact Rigsby is a lot easier to be around lately. Now that he's not mooning over you. He really does love you."

"Yeah, I know. I.I. have feelings for him too." Grace whispered hoping no one was within listening range.

"But not love." Cho stated bluntly.

"I really can't talk about this. Wayne and I have not even had this conversation."

Cho narrowed his eyes as he looked at her "I know he told you that he loves you, so that means you haven't admitted that you love him."

Grace's head snapped up at his statement. She wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that Rigsby had shared his feelings with Cho, or that her feelings were so apparent to everyone but herself. "Who else knows?"

"About Rigsby being in love with you?"

"No, everyone knew that…."

"About how you feel about him?" Grace nodded slightly.

"It's hard to tell. If I can see, then you know Jane knows. Lisbon and Minelli? Not sure if they know and are trying to ignore it or if it really has slipped by them." Cho paused for her response. When none came he continued. "Of course there is only one person who needs to know….."

"Wayne." She whispered.

Cho nodded just as Rigsby came back into the squad room.

Rigsby looked from one to the other "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

Cho stood up and walked back to his desk "Nothing, just making small talk."

Wayne continued slowly to his desk watching Grace's face. All she could do was shake her head silently asking him not to open this conversation now. Wayne silently sat down at his desk and went to work on the files he had just brought in.

Grace tried to concentrate on the research she was doing, but her insides had started to turn to goo again as soon as Wayne walked into the room. She really needed to get her head straight.

Four weeks after Grace returned to work she had what she hoped was her final check up from the Doctor. It had been six weeks since the shooting and Grace was anxious to get back to normal life.

Wayne was able to get off work at 5:00 that night. He was anxious to get home and see what the doctor had told Grace. Home. Wow. He could not believe how easily he thought of Grace's apartment as home. Although if he wanted to admit it, it had nothing to do with the apartment. Any place that Grace was would be home to him.

It has been four weeks since he walked in the squad room and found Cho talking to Grace. He could tell whatever the conversation was had rattled Grace, but he respected her wish to not discuss it at that time. Shortly after that they both got assigned complicated cases, and barely even saw each other except right before bed and as they were getting ready for work. Wayne knew that the conversation would come up again, but for some reason the subject made him nervous and he was not going to be the one to broach it. No matter how happy they seemed at the moment, Wayne could not get over the feeling that it could end at any minute.

As he opened the door Wayne noticed that all of the lights seemed to be turned off. He was about to turn on the living room light when he also noticed that candles seemed to be flickering all over the apartment. Wayne froze. He did not notice that there seemed to be a black out, so…..

Just then Grace called from the bedroom "Wayne, are you home?"

"Yeah" he managed to croak out. Just as he started to loosen his tie Grace appeared in the bedroom doorway. She was wearing THE red dress.


	10. Seducing Rigsby

Wayne could not take his eyes off of her. She looked as beautiful as she did in his memories, and his fantasies. Grace Van Pelt in that little red dress that had caused him so many sleepless nights the past year. The only thing missing was that awful flower.

Grace stood fidgeting in the doorway for a few seconds before finally approaching him. "Hey." She kissed him on the cheek before giving him his instructions. "I left a clean shirt out for you. Go get cleaned up, our reservations are in 1 hour and 15 minutes."

"Reservations?" Rigsby managed to croak out. "We're going out?"

"Very observant Agent Rigsby. Yes, we are going out. I got a clean bill of health from the Doctor and I feel like celebrating."

Wayne wanted to protest but right now he could deny her nothing. "OK, I'll be right back."

While he was changing Grace walked around the apartment blowing out the candles. It seemed a little silly now, lighting them when they were going out shortly, but she could not resist. She wanted the correct tone of the evening apparent from the moment he walked through the door. And judging by his reaction she had succeeded. It was going to be a long dinner she groaned to herself. Grace picked up the last candle and stood looking into the flame, almost as if it was a crystal ball and she could see her future, and liked what she saw.

Wayne came out of the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks. The room was almost dark now, and Grace stood in the middle illuminated by a single candle. She was in profile and in the candle light her skin looked like fine porcelain, her hair had more curl than usual and fell softly around her face and shoulders. But it was her eyes that captured him. As she sensed his presence she turned and looked at him and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. He wondered if it was possible to fall in 'love at first sight' over and over with the same woman. Because this was only the most recent of at least a half dozen times he felt that way when looking at her, beginning with the first time she wore that dress.

"Are you ready?" he asked. The sooner they got going the sooner they would be home and….Wayne did not want to think about that. He had to get through dinner.

Grace blew out the last candle. "Yeah, let's go."

As Wayne was unlocking the car door Grace started fidgeting. Wayne smiled, she really had no idea how beautiful she was. "Stop fidgeting Grace. I guarantee you will be the most beautiful woman in the room tonight."

Grace looked up into his face and knew that in his eyes at least that was true. And tonight, no one else mattered.

Once Grace was in the passenger seat and Rigsby had gotten behind the wheel he asked "Where to?"

"Zinfandel Grille."

"Really? Very nice."

"I hope so. I've heard good things, and wanted to give it a try." The truth was she had researched Sacramento restaurants on the web. The menu at the Zinfandel Grille seemed elegant, but simple. No fusion confusion.

After they arrived and handed the car over to the valet, Grace tucked her hand into Wayne's arm and they walked toward the front door. As Wayne held the door for her he asked "What name is the reservation under?"

Grace started fidgeting again. She had no idea why but when the hostess asked her what name to put the reservation under, she automatically answered "Rigsby."

If Wayne was surprised he did not show it. He just went up to the hostess and checked in. When he turned back to where Grace was standing she seemed a little nervous about something, but he could not figure out what. He walked over and put an arm around her waist as he placed a light kiss on the top of her head. Just then the hostess called them "Mr. and Mrs. Rigsby? This way please."

Grace froze, but Wayne did not seem to react at all. He nudged her gently with the hand that was still around her waist and they followed the hostess to their table.

They were seated and looking over their menus and still Grace had not said a word. Wayne lowered his menu and reached over to take her hand. "What's wrong Grace? Are you in pain?" Suddenly he became worried. Although she said the doctor had given her a clean bill of health, was there something she was not telling him.

"I'm so sorry Wayne. I wanted this night to be perfect, and I guess I just messed everything up." Grace was trying not to let the tears flow.

"What?? Messed up?? Are you kidding me? Grace so far tonight has been perfect. What do you think you messed up?"

Grace was twisting her napkin around in her lap "It's just when they asked me what name to put the reservations under, I don't know why I gave your name."

"So your traditional Midwest upbringing had you put the reservation in my name. What's wrong with that?"

"But then the hostess thought we were married….." Grace stopped as Wayne started to chuckle.

"Is that what you're worried about? Grace I can assure you that I was not embarrassed or upset that someone thought you would marry me. So…unless YOU have a problem with it…." Wayne suddenly started feeling insecure again.

"NO! I just didn't want you to think I was getting ideas about how our future was playing out."

Wayne laughed. "Oh Grace, it's too late for that! I've had ideas since the day you walked into the Shand Creek Winery wearing _that_!"

Grace started to relax. They went back to looking over the menu. By the time the waiter returned they were ready to order.

Two hours later they were headed back to Grace's. Both were excited and nervous at the same time. Grace had been planning this night for 4 weeks now and had spent all afternoon getting ready and anticipating how the night would end.

Wayne knew that Grace had put a lot of time and thought into planning for tonight. It took all of the self control he had to allow her to take the lead.

Once they were back inside the apartment, Grace turned around and immediately pulled Wayne's head down for a heart stopping kiss. Wayne's arms snaked around her to bring her closer. As his hands started to move up and down her back to mold her body to his, he suddenly pulled back.

"Grace you're not wearing anything under this dress are you?"

Grace bit down on her lower lip as she slowly shook her head "After 6 weeks of not working out there wasn't enough room for anything."

Wayne groaned loudly "It's a good thing I didn't know that before we left for the restaurant. We never would have left."

Grace smiled and she turned in his arms and reached back to grab Wayne by his tie and led him into her bedroom. Just inside the door she turned as he pulled her back into his arms, but stopped him before he could re-capture her lips. She watched his eyes darken as her hand slowly caressed his face.

"I love you Wayne." She whispered huskily.

Wayne's hands which had been slowly moving up and down her back stopped. He looked into her eyes as a trained investigator looking for any sign that she was not totally sincere. He did not want her saying something just because she thought it was what he wanted to hear. All he saw reflected there was…love.

The next morning Grace Van Pelt woke up feeling…different. It took her a minute to place her finger on it, oh yeah, she felt loved. She was so glad they had waited. This was so much better, more intense than if they had hooked up on that first night. Sure they would have continued to date, and get closer, but this was slow and romantic and…spectacular.

Grace felt Wayne tighten his arm around her waist as he woke up. He started to place light kisses along her shoulder and down her arm. She rolled over onto her back and he immediately trapped her beneath him. "Good morning." He whispered. Grace shook her head "No, GREAT morning. Are you hungry?"

Wayne grinned widely as he lowered his head to capture her lips. At first he kissed her gently and sweetly. When he got no resistance he deepened the kiss. Grace snaked her arms around his neck to keep him close. She was sure she would have trouble walking on Monday morning.


	11. Permission to Love

Rigsby walked back into the squad room with the bottle of scotch. He didn't know what made him start singing Amazing Grace, it just seemed appropriate as they were discussing the bagpipes.

He poured a shot for himself and Lisbon. He did not even ask Grace if she wanted any, she could not tolerate the stuff. Neither Cho nor Jane had even touched their tequila. Cho had paperwork to complete and Jane needed a clear head to start going through the Red John files.

Once the toasting was done, Jane had disappeared into what was Bosco's office. Cho went to his desk and got busy.

Lisbon turned to Rigsby "You might as well go home Rigsby. I need to have a word with Van Pelt. She'll be along shortly."

Rigsby tried to hide his confused look. Was she saying she knew about them or was she just trying to say that Grace would be going home shortly? Before he got himself in trouble by asking questions Rigsby went to his desk and grabbed his jacket "Good night ladies, Cho. I'll see you in the morning." Then he was gone.

Lisbon watched as Grace Van Pelt's eyes followed Rigsby to the elevator. They made brief eye contact as the elevator door closed. She then turned back to Lisbon.

"Come on Van Pelt. My office. Oh, and bring the scotch."

"Yes boss." Van Pelt answered as she grabbed the bottle and followed Lisbon to her office and shut the door.

Lisbon was sitting behind her desk with the empty shot glass in front of her. Van Pelt put the bottle down on the desk next to the glass and sat down nervously.

Lisbon poured herself another shot of scotch and used it to toast Van Pelt. "Here's to you and Rigsby getting your heads out of your asses." She saluted before downing the scotch.

Van Pelt's eyes became as wide as saucers. She opened her mouth to say something but Lisbon cut her off before a sound came out. "Forget it Van Pelt."

"What are you going to do boss?"

"Do? Why would I do anything?"

"The rules…."

"Screw the rules!"

Grace could not help smiling slightly at Lisbon's use of the same exact words Wayne used when he declared his love for her.

Lisbon continued "Rules can't keep you warm at night, or comfort you when you need it."

When Grace did not respond she continued. "Just keep it out of the office, and I won't have any reason to address the issue. Actually this will be a time saver, not to mention good for the environment."

She laughed at the confused look on Grace's face. "I now only need to make one phone call in the middle of the night, so a time saver. Plus you can come to the crime scene in one vehicle instead of two. Good for the environment."

Grace was still looking a little tense so Lisbon decided to drop the subject. Sort of. "Now that we have that out of the way……Dish Girl!!!!"

Grace almost laughed. This was a side of Lisbon she had not seen before. Just one of the girls.

For the next few minutes Grace brought Theresa Lisbon up to date on her romance with Agent Wayne Rigsby, leaving out only the most intimate details. When she was done she looked over at her boss who seemed to be asleep in her chair. Grace stood up quietly and was about to leave the office when Lisbon spoke up. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Most women dream of just meeting a man who looks like Wayne Rigsby. You not only met him, you got him to fall head over heels totally and completely in love with you. And that was before your first date. God I'm jealous!"

Just then Patrick Jane opened the door to the office. "All done in here? Come on Lisbon let me get you home."

"Ok then goodnight." Grace managed before she slipped out the door.

Lisbon poured herself another drink and looked at Jane who had seated himself in the chair just vacated by Van Pelt. "I thought you would be here all night now that you finally got your hands on Bosco's files."

"Yeah, I would have thought so too. But now that Bosco's gone I have all the time in the world. Besides I need to be clear headed. So a good night's rest, and I'll be back to it in the morning."

Lisbon noticed that he said rest, not sleep, so he must still be experiencing insomnia. "I talked to Van Pelt about her relationship with Rigsby."

"Oh? How did that go?"

"OK I guess. I told her to keep it out of the office so that I would not have any reason to address it."

"What changed your mind? What about the rules?"

Lisbon shrugged "I guess I finally realized you were right. We can't always pick who we love. Our jobs are filled with so much death and destruction there shouldn't be rules as to who we turn to for comfort. Oh God am I getting soft?"

Jane chuckled "You? Soft? Never! But you did the right thing. Don't assume there will be trouble. They've managed to keep it out of the office so far. Now come on get your stuff."

Wayne went back to his apartment after leaving CBI headquarters. He got a beer from the refrigerator and tried to relax watching TV but all he could think about was Grace and Lisbon, talking. About an hour after arriving home there was a knock on his door. He opened it and barely had time to brace himself as Grace came flying at him. He caught her with one arm as his other arm shut the door, then he gathered her to him and held her tight. She buried her face in his neck and held on tight. That's when the tears started to flow. Wayne managed to maneuver them to the couch and sat down with Grace on his lap. The past week had been the hardest either had to endure in their professional lives and this was the first opportunity they had to comfort each other.

Once the tears stopped Wayne stood up wordlessly and led Grace to the bedroom. He opened a drawer and took out a t-shirt for her to sleep in. Both got ready and climbed into bed without saying a word. When the alarm went off in the morning they were both still clinging to each other.

As Wayne showered Grace prepared breakfast. As they ate Grace recounted her conversation with Lisbon for him.

"OK, so no fighting or making out at the office. I think we can handle that. What do you think?" he asked her once she finished.

"I think you should move in with me." She stated plainly.

Wayne choked on his coffee. Grace jumped up and started patting him on the back. "I'm sorry Wayne. I was being selfish. This week has been so hard. Every night I went home and just wanted you there to hold me. I guess I didn't stop to think that moving in would not be on your agenda. Forget I said anything."

'Grace, honey.." Wayne choked out. "Stop talking." Grace went back to her seat and watched as he took a couple of deep breaths. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Grace nodded slowly.

"Well this is pretty good timing. Tomorrow is the 1st, so if I give 30 days notice today I can be out my lease at the end of the month. How does that work for you?"

Grace squealed with delight. She got up and went over and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you. Now I need to get home and get ready for work. See you in a little while."

Wayne laughed "That's it?"

Grace stopped with her hand on the door knob and turned to look back at him. "Don't worry I WILL make it up to you tonight!" And with that she was gone.

Wayne groaned "Van Pelt you're killing me!"


	12. Fall Time Fun

Fall. The time of year Grace Van Pelt loved the most. Being from a farming community it was the time of year for celebrations. Winter was cold and dead. Spring kept everyone busy with planting. The Summer was hot and stormy. But the Fall was perfect. There were dances and football games. Potlucks and parties. And of course Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Grace loved Halloween while growing up. A day to dress up and have fun. There wasn't much opportunity to go Trick or Treating since neighbors could be ¼ mile away. At the school there was usually a bon fire and a costume dance.

She lost some of her enthusiasm for the holiday after joining law enforcement. Since becoming a cop she saw the underside of the holiday.

This year she and Wayne were planning on attending a Costume Dance and Potluck at church. Wayne was going as a cop. While packing up his apartment he found his first uniform, and it still fit pretty good. Grace was dressed as a Greek Goddess. She got the idea one Sunday afternoon while watching Troy. Grace thought one of the characters bore a striking resemblance to Wayne. Her idea was that he go as a Gladiator and she as a Greek Goddess. As soon as he saw the costume, it was a lost cause. No matter. They were there together having fun.

As soon as they walked in Wayne's eyes became big as saucers. He could not believe how much food was there. Although the Rigsby's never went hungry, he certainly was not used to having such a variety of food all in once place. Even holidays were simple family meals. Wayne did not know most of his extended family.

After eating the music started. The band was made up of members from the church and they played a variety of music. Something for everyone there. As time went by everyone seemed to drift into little groups. Wayne was standing in the back of the room talking to several of the husbands. Their wives were seated at one of the tables trying to get Grace to tell them everything about Wayne. Not that Grace minded. She spent all day 5 days a week being one of the guys and hiding her relationship. It felt good to be able to talk openly about how happy she was.

Marie McGowen was the first to bring up the subject. "Well, I don't need to ask if you're happy. You're glowing!"

Grace beamed "Yeah, I am. I am really happy." At that, with the ice broken it seemed like every woman in the room had a question for Grace.

Marie laughed at Grace's dazed expression. "Just you wait. This will be you after a few years of marriage and a couple of kids."

Grace blushed brightly and tried to respond but nothing came out. So Marie continued "I'm not saying you and Wayne, I'm just saying when you get married, to you know, who ever…."

Grace blushed brighter and Marie practically squealed "You ARE thinking along those lines. What about Wayne? Has he brought it up?"

Grace recounted the incident at the Zinfandel Grille, the hostess thinking they were married and Wayne not minding and admitting that he has been thinking about a future for them for a long time. There came a chorus of "Awwww." from the ladies at the table.

"But you're still not sure?" she heard asked by someone.

"It's only been a couple of months, and 6 weeks of that I was recuperating from being shot. I mean he says he loves me, even Jane says so and he's never wrong about those things, but I still can't figure out why. What makes him so sure that I'm THE one? I see how women look at him. He could have his pick. He even had a rich older woman interested in him, so why me?" Grace realized she had started rambling and looked around at the faces at the table. They all seemed slightly amused at her confused state.

Marie reached over and took her hand. "Grace, when did you suspect you had feelings for Wayne?"

"Almost from the first moment I met him." Grace had to admit "But come on look at him? What red-blooded single woman wouldn't?"

Marie chuckled "You know I've seen you and your colleagues on TV. That other agent, Cho isn't it?" Grace nodded "He's pretty hot too. Did you have feelings for him?" Grace shook her head. Marie was right Cho was just as good looking as Rigsby, just in a different way. "And this Jane character. You obviously have a lot of respect for him. And although a little older he's also pretty easy on the eyes. So, why Wayne?"

Grace shook her head and shrugged slightly. She was sure Marie had an answer for her. And Marie did not disappoint. "Chemistry. It's one of the greatest mysteries of life. Why is one person attracted to a certain person? No one knows. But this we do know. If the person you feel that spark for feels it too, go with it. And trust me Grace any more sparks between you two and we would calling out the fire department!"

As Grace looked around the table all the other women were nodding their agreement. One of the women pointed behind Grace and said "It looks like another female is trying to work her wiles on your boyfriend."

Everyone at the table burst out laughing as Grace spun around to where the woman was pointing. Sure enough Wayne was out on the dance floor with Shannon McGowen in his arms. And she was clapping her hands delightedly as he spun and dipped her in time to the fast tune that was playing. Grace turned back around slightly embarrassed to have been caught acting jealous.

Marie stood up and gestured for Grace to follow "Come on let's go get your man back."

As they made their way to where Wayne was goofing around with Shannon, the music slowed to a romantic ballad. And they could not help but giggle as Shannon threw her arms around Wayne's neck and lay her head on his shoulder.

They approached Wayne and Marie reached up and claimed her daughter as Grace slipped into his arms all in a seemingly choreographed move.

Grace slipped her arms around his neck as his went to her waist. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah. It was fun."

"But you're ready to go home, right?"

"Yeah sure, right after this song." It wasn't until he started singing softly in her ear that she realized the song that was playing, 'Endless Love'.

Grace could feel all eyes on them, but found that she no longer cared if everyone in the room knew how she felt about the man holding her so sweetly. And if Wayne was concerned he showed no sign of it. Marie and the other ladies were right. Even she could feel the sparks flying as they moved together. It was a good thing Wayne was an arson expert. He would know what to do when they spontaneously combusted.

As the song was ending Grace pulled back just enough to look Wayne in the eye. "I love you." She whispered for his ears only.

Wayne grinned wickedly as he leaned forward to rest his forehead on Grace's "I know." He answered but before Grace could react he dipped her as the last few notes drifted through the room.

As he brought her back up Grace could not help but laugh as she playfully slapped at his arm.

"Oh now you've done it ma'am" Wayne said still smiling. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you into custody for striking a law enforcement officer."

"But you can't arrest me. I'm a goddess and I have immunity."

Wayne groaned "Oh that you are Goddess Grace, that you are."

Both were still laughing as they made their way over to the table to say good night.

Grace felt lighter than she had in months. She loved Wayne and he loved her. She needed to stop analyzing too much. This was right and she knew it.

Three weeks later Grace was preparing for Thanksgiving. This was the first time she would not be spending it with her family. It made her sad to think about that, but she was where she wanted to be with Wayne. He still did not talk much about his family and never mentioned them in regards to the holiday. He was excited about having an old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner. He had convinced Grace to get recipes from her family members and cook them for him. He would help of course.

So the Wednesday night before they were in the kitchen with recipes spread out around them trying to do a lot of the prep work so it would not be so daunting the next day. Grace had spent her whole life helping prepare the dinner, but she could not believe how excited she was to be doing this on her own. It felt right. She and Wayne making holiday memories of their own. And he was obviously enjoying himself. He had a huge grin on his face as he worked around the kitchen following her directions.

Just as they were cleaning up for the night, making ready to get an early start in the morning there was a knock at the door. Grace looked at the clock "Who could that be at this hour?"

Wayne who was elbow deep in dish water answered. "Well I guess we'll know when you open the door."

Grace turned and looked at him just as she was opening the door. As she turned back and opened the front door, she gasped loudly. There at her open door were her parents.

Grace squealed as she hugged her parents one at a time and then pulled them into a group hug. She had not seen them since last Thanksgiving and was not sure when she was going to be able to get back home again.

Grace suddenly remembered she was not alone. She turned back to the kitchen to find Wayne leaning against the counter top with the biggest grin on his face. "You knew about this?"

Mrs. Van Pelt answered from behind her "Not only knew about it, he made all of the arrangements."

Before Grace even realized she was moving she was throwing herself at Wayne. Luckily he caught her.

"I love you. I love you." She whispered into his neck. From behind her she heard her father say "Um Grace honey when you're done we really would like to meet your fine young man."


	13. Happy Holiday

A/N This chapter is for mfkngst who wanted interaction. Hope I succeeded .

Hearing her father's voice Grace reluctantly let go of Wayne and turned around to where her parents were standing smiling broadly. She wiped the tears from her eyes before making the introductions.

"Mom, Dad, this is Agent Wayne Rigsby. Although it seems you guys have already been in touch. Wayne, my mom and dad."

Wayne stepped forward to shake hands with Grace's father. As he turned slightly to shake hands with Mrs. Van Pelt she tugged on his hand and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Wayne for taking care of our daughter."

"It was my pleasure Mrs. Van Pelt." Wayne smiled at Grace over her mother's shoulder.

Once the introductions were made, Grace led everyone into the Living Room. "So, can I get anyone something to drink? Iced Tea? Lemonade? Or I can make a pot of coffee…"

Wayne chuckled beside her "Grace relax, you sit down and talk to your folks. I'll get the drinks."

As Wayne moved around the kitchen getting the drinks together Grace sat on the couch between her parents "I can't believe you guys are here. I really wanted to come home but Wayne is on call tomorrow, and I didn't want to leave him here alone."

Grace's mother took one of her hands "It's OK sweetie. I can see why you wanted to stay. Never apologize for living your own life."

Wayne returned with the drinks and after passing them out sat in the armchair facing the couch. He was amazed at how much Grace favored both her parents. If he isolated her and Mr. Van Pelt, he could see the resemblance. But if he isolated her with her mother there was no mistaking whose daughter she was.

Wayne had been talking to Mrs. Van Pelt on the phone since shortly after Grace was shot. She had called CBI trying to verify that Grace was really OK. Luckily she got Cho on the phone who of course transferred the call to Rigsby. Rigsby had assured her that he would take care of Grace, and to prove it he called her on a regular basis to give updates. A couple of times, if he was home, Mr. Van Pelt would pick up the extension and join in the conversation.

Soon it was time for the Van Pelt's to return to their hotel. The next day was going to be busy. As soon as the door closed behind her parents, Grace turned around and wrapped her arms around the man who was fast becoming indispensible to her life. Wayne held her against him and smiled. He knew what he was most thankful for this year.

"My parents like you." She said with her face still buried in his chest.

Wayne smiled. "Your mother seems to, your dad is not so sure."

Grace pulled back a little and looked up into his eyes. "Well you have all weekend to win him over."

They walked over to the couch and sat down cuddled together in one corner before Wayne spoke again. "What happens when they learn about my past?"

"Past? What past?"

"Come on Grace, you know what I mean."

"I know that you did not have a happy childhood. I know that your father did things that embarrass you to this day." She looked up and found him looking straight ahead with a far off look in his eyes. "But I also know that YOU are a good man. One of the best. I know that when you could have taken the easy way out and followed in his footsteps you did not. You made a good life for yourself in a noble profession. You could have wallowed in self pity and done nothing with your life using your childhood as an excuse. You did not." Grace paused waiting to see if he would react. When he did not she continued. "Your past is part of what makes me love you so much."

At that Wayne scoffed. "Now you're patronizing me."

"Wayne look at me." He lowered his eyes till he was looking directly into hers "The fact that you had to overcome so much proves to me how good you really are." She reached up and stroked his face as he continued to look deep into her eyes. "Your past is not what concerns me. It's your future that I'm interested in."

Wayne smiled and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Well you should be interested in my future, because I don't see one without you in it."

Grace felt his arms tighten around her as he pulled her up along his body. At the same time he scooted down until he was laying on the couch with Grace on top of him. Grace was about to lower her lips to his, when he shifted slightly and they both almost fell off the couch. Grace laughed and said "Come on, there's a more comfortable piece of furniture in the other room." She grinned as he swung her around as he stood up and carried her to the bedroom.

By the time the Van Pelt's arrived the following morning, dinner was well under way. Mrs. Van Pelt joined her daughter in the kitchen while Mr. Van Pelt and Rigsby checked out what game was playing on TV.

Grace fixed a pot of tea for them and they sat at the kitchen table sipping it while keeping an eye on the turkey.

"Grace honey I am so glad to see you this happy. I was actually feeling sorry for Wayne."

Grace almost choked on her tea "Sorry for him? Why?"

"Well, you did not even mention to us that you were dating anyone. Yet when I spoke with Wayne, it was obvious that he had strong feelings for you. I was afraid they were unrequited. But I can see that you care very deeply for him. Even if you are afraid to admit it to yourself."

Grace smiled over the top of her cup "Actually, I'm very much in love with him, but…."

Mrs. Van Pelt put her cup down on the saucer "But? How can there be a but if you both love each other?"

"It's against CBI rules. If our relationship becomes known, one or both of us could lose our jobs. At the very least it will leave black marks in our files for breaking the rules."

"Love will find a way, it always does."

Wayne and Mr. Van Pelt were scanning the channels trying to find the most exciting game to watch. Neither spoke about anything personal, conversation was limited to the statistics of the teams they were watching. Although he had eaten breakfast, the smells from the kitchen were making Wayne hungry. He got up to freshen up their drinks and see if there was anything to snack on.

As he entered the kitchen it was obvious to Wayne that the ladies were having a serious conversation. He stopped at the doorway unsure whether to enter or just retreat back to the living room. Grace glanced up and smiled at him. "Hungry?"

"Yeah, a little." He answered sheepishly.

Seeing the empty glasses in his hand Grace got up and went to the refrigerator for the pitcher of iced tea. She also pulled out a plate of vegetable sticks which she handed to Wayne. Grace burst out laughing since it was obvious that Wayne was trying very hard to hide the look of horror on his face. She reached back into the refrigerator and got out a bowl of salsa. She then got a bag of chips from the cupboard and traded them for the plate of vegetables. Wayne grinned and kissed her on the cheek before returning to the living room.

Grace turned back to her mother who said "It must be true love."

"What do you mean?"

"Grace I never thought I would see the day when you would have junk food in your home."

Grace let out a short chuckle "Yeah well it is Thanksgiving and he has been doing a lot better so I thought he deserved a little treat." She looked over and saw her mother grinning and couldn't deny it any longer. "OK, you got me. Yes it is definitely love."

Wayne returned to the living room with the chips and salsa. Mr. Van Pelt looked at him wide eyed before replying. "Wow my daughter must really care about you. Junk food in my Grace's home. Never thought I would see the day." He said smiling as he reached for the chips.

Wayne blushed bright red. "It's a holiday treat."

Mr. Van Pelt laughed as he toasted Wayne with the fresh glass of iced tea.

This Thanksgiving dinner was the best Wayne had ever had. Not only was the food fantastic, but the company was even better.

Once everyone had their fill of salad, turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and yams, green beans and cranberry sauce, it was time for a little exercise before dessert. All four adults walked down to the neighborhood park, Wayne carrying a football. As Grace and her mother walked around the trail, Wayne and her father started throwing the football back and forth. Before long a couple of neighborhood teenagers joined them, with Mr. Van Pelt giving pointers to anyone asking for them. After a while the 2 women sat down on a bench and watched the goings on around them. Soon everyone else seemed to drift away leaving the just Grace, Wayne and the Van Pelts. Mrs. Van Pelt noticed that Grace could not take her eyes off of the men throwing the football back and forth. "Go ahead honey, I know you would rather be joining in the action. I'll be sitting here soaking up the wonderful California weather."

"Are you sure mom?"

"Yes, I'm sure, now go."

Grace got up and started jogging over to where Wayne was standing. Just before reaching him she launched herself in his direction. Luckily for him he saw her out of the corner of his eye and was able to catch her. The game became a little more interesting at that point with the Van Pelt's against Rigsby. Grace of course was in charge of tackling.

Mrs. Van Pelt laughed while watching the action. She must have been daydreaming because suddenly she noticed her husband walking toward her. She turned her attention to where Grace and Wayne were standing snuggled together. Then she noticed the cell phone in Wayne's hand. As her husband sat down she asked "Work?"

"Yup. It looks like Wayne will be leaving us for a while."

Grace approached the bench where her parents were sitting while Wayne immediately headed back to the apartment to clean up and change. They say for a few more minutes enjoying the autumn air before heading back. As they opened the apartment door, Wayne was just coming out of the bedroom. His hair was still wet from his quick shower, and he was adjusting his weapon and badge on his belt. He grabbed a jacket from the coat closet and said his good byes as he headed toward the door. Grace followed him and stopped him with a hug. "Be careful, wear your vest."

Wayne grinned. "Don't worry. It's a possible Arson. Seems like there have been a lot of fires today, and all of the real Arson Investigators are already at the scenes. Since Serious Crimes had no other calls, and I was on call, they asked for our help. It shouldn't take long."

Grace refused to let go. "Be careful anyway. OK?"

"I will, cross my heart." He stroked her hair as she reluctantly let go. Then he was gone.

Grace sighed deeply as she turned back to her parents. All of the color had left Mrs. Van Pelt's face. "MOM! Are you OK? Grace asked worriedly.

"I..I..j.….I always knew your job was dangerous. But seeing Wayne all geared up brought home just how dangerous."

Grace walked over to where her mother was sitting and knelt down on the floor in front of her. She took her hands in hers and told her "It's OK Mom. I'll be careful. It's not like on TV. Most Law Enforcement Officers are never involved in gunfire."

"But Grace, you've already been shot."

"Exactly, so chances of another incident are slim. Now, how about those pies. Wayne won't mind as long as we save him some."


	14. Facing Her Father

Wayne and Grace were able to spend the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend entertaining her parents. On Friday they drove into San Francisco and played tourists for the day, hitting all of the important landmarks. After a late lunch/early dinner at a seafood restaurant in Ghiradelli Square, Grace and her mother decided to do some shopping. Wayne and Mr. Van Pelt decided to walk along the waterfront agreeing to meet up with the ladies in 1 hour. They were finally starting to feel comfortable with each other. Mr. Van Pelt could tell that Wayne was a good and honorable man, who would always be there for his daughter. But that did not mean he was going to let him off the hook.

"So Wayne, I guess this is where I ask you what your intentions are toward my daughter?"

Wayne blushed bright red and started to stammer. "Well, sir, I mean, um, I love her very much, and um, I'm hoping to you know convince her that, well that, you know we have a future together and…"

Mr. Van Pelt chuckled. "Calm down. I can see how much you love her, and how much she loves you. What exactly does this future look like? Dare I say it, does it include marriage?"

"Well sir I was kind of hoping to talk to you about that this weekend."

"To me? Don't you think you should talk to Grace?"

"Well, yes of course. I have everything all planned out for that, but I wanted to make sure I had your blessing first. I know how important family is to Grace, and I would not want to start our lives together on the wrong foot with you."

"Yes, well, speaking of family, I can't help but notice that you don't mention yours. Even on a holiday."

Wayne took a deep breath and filled Mr. Van Pelt in on the details of his family and childhood. The whole time Wayne was talking, Mr. Van Pelt listened intently, never saying a word. When Wayne finished, he put his hand on Wayne's arm and said "Son, my respect for you just grew immensely. I can't imagine how hard you must have worked to overcome all that and become the fine young man I would happily entrust my daughter to." When Wayne did not respond he continued. "In case you missed it I just gave you my blessing."

Wayne started beaming. "Thank you sir. I promise you won't regret it I will love and cherish your daughter till death do us part."

Mr. Van Pelt laughed. "Just remember that when the minister asks you at the wedding."

They had turned back toward the landmark where they were to meet up with the ladies when Wayne stopped short. "I forgot about something, or rather someone. What will Mrs. Van Pelt think?"

Mr. Van Pelt who had gotten a little ahead of Wayne stopped and turned back toward him. "I'll tell you a little secret. She's been planning the wedding ever since the first time you called her with the update on Grace's condition. I think she will handle it just fine."

The two men arrived at the meeting place just ahead of the ladies. As the women approached they could not help but notice that the slight tension that seemed to exist between the two men was gone. As Grace walked up to Wayne he immediately drew her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that her parents were standing just a couple of feet away. Even after he broke off the kiss, he did not release her and they stood cuddled together enjoying the ocean breeze as Mrs. Van Pelt showed her husband what she bought. It suddenly occurred to Wayne that there was something pressing against the small of his back. He released Grace and as she pulled away he noticed a box with the name of a bakery emblazoned on it in her hand. As he reached for the box, she turned away from him and held it out of his reach. "Oh no, that's for later."

Mr. and Mrs. Van Pelt watched from a few feet away. They could not have picked a better match for their Grace. It was obvious from Wayne's reaction to Grace's shooting that he would be strong for her when she needed him to be. But the last couple of days also showed that they could have fun and enjoy being with each other. Law Enforcement was a noble profession, but it was also one that could be hard on spouses. An officer's spouse needed to be just as committed to serving the community as the officer. If not, they would never understand the sense of duty their loved one felt which could lead to feelings of resentment. Grace and Wayne were both officers. They understood the sense of duty and commitment that the other felt. Now if only they could overcome this rules thing.

Later that night as they were getting ready for bed, Grace came up behind Wayne and put her hands around his waist and laid her head on his back. "So you and my dad are getting along?"

"Yeah. We had a long talk while you were shopping."

"Oh, what about?"

"I told him about my folks and my childhood. He was actually quite understanding." Wayne took one of Grace's arms and pulled her around so she was in front of him. "Funny thing was, he said pretty much the same thing you did." At Grace's questioning look he continued. "You know, about how far I've come being something I should be proud of."

"Oh, well I guess like daughter like father then."

"Yeah. Now can we change the subject? I really cannot do to you what I have planned if we are talking about your parents."

The next day was the last full day they would have to spend together. They drove over to the Pacific Coast Highway and just drove south stopping at every viewpoint they came to. They had packed overnight bags and found a small out of the way bed and breakfast just outside of San Francisco. They would have just enough time for a leisurely breakfast in the morning before the Van Pelt's would need to head to the airport.

As Grace stood watching her parents go through security, she could not believe how grown up she suddenly felt. The last time she had seen her parents she felt so much like their little girl. Now, here she was, over 1 year at a very impressive job halfway across the country, and in a very stable, grown up relationship. She was officially an adult. She laid her head to the side onto Wayne's shoulder, now if only they could overcome this rules thing.


	15. Reality Bites

Grace walked into the CBI headquarters on Monday morning with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. As soon as she reached her desk she could hear the raised voices in Lisbon's office. It seemed as if Jane had spent the weekend working on Bosco's Red John files. Of course since it was a holiday weekend, several of the "suspects" that he tried to talk to objected. And of course they objected all the way to the top of the CBI food chain. One in particular was the friend of a state congressman.

"Jane I know you have a hard time believing this, but the rules DO apply to you too."

"Oh come on Lisbon. We're talking about people's lives here. Surely you can understand that. How many more people have to die before…"

"Cut the crap! This is me you're talking to. This is about your need for vengeance."

"It was…it is…OK so it's both. You can't disagree. Don't you want to stop the killing? And if we can exact vengeance for those already killed, bonus."

"OK, you got me. I DO want to stop the killing, and yes it would be a plus if it exact's vengeance for Bosco's team. But we still have to work within the rules. They are there for a reason. Rules can protect us as well as the suspects. If we play by the rules, ALL the rules, then charges stick, the bad guy goes away and we don't have to watch the guilty walk on a technicality!"

"Come on Lisbon. You have to see the humor here. Who could have known that Mr. Johnson used hypnosis to quit smoking, and then to lose weight….."

"Right, so he knew exactly what you were trying to do to him, and immediately called his life long friend Congressman Howard. That's my point. If you follow the rules, things like that do NOT happen. How many times have I told you NO hypnosis!"

"OK, OK. Truce? Let's stop fighting before the kids come home and think mom and dad are getting a divorce. Coffee? You need more coffee?"

"Go on get out of here. And yes, I need more coffee."

Grace immediately turned her attention to her computer screen. As Jane left Lisbon's office he looked a little surprised to see her, but kept on going to the break room. It had been such an idyllic weekend. She had pushed the fact that she and Rigsby were breaking the rules to the back of her mind. Way back. But now hearing Lisbon lecture Jane about how important and necessary rules are brought it right to the front again. This weekend showed Grace what she wanted her future to look like. She wanted a life with Wayne, and she knew as well as she knew her name that Wayne wanted the same thing. Lisbon might be able to get away with ignoring them dating, but married, and…her hands went to her stomach, what about if she was pregnant? That could not be ignored.

How could she let this happen….again! Why couldn't she meet a nice, available guy? But no, not Grace Van Pelt. She always had to fall in love with a man who was not available to her. Grace was so lost in her thoughts she did not see Wayne come in and sit down at his desk.

Wayne knew he was running a little late. Nothing seemed to go right that morning. Then just as he thought he would be able to sneak in just on time, he got stuck behind a school bus that seemed to need to stop on every corner. By the time he got to CBI Headquarters, he was about 5 minutes late, so he was rushing to his desk with his head down hoping no one would stop him and make him any later. It was not until he reached his desk and stowed all of his gear that he dared to look over at Grace. She hated tardiness and he was sure she would be looking at him disapprovingly. Instead she was staring off into space with her hands still grasping her abdomen.

"Grace! Are you all right? You're not in any pain are you?" He was so worried that he did not even realize that he called her by her given name.

Grace was startled at hearing her name. "What?? No, I..I..I'm f-f-fine. Really. We can talk later. OK?"

Wayne was sure she was lying, but they could not get into that here. Luckily Lisbon chose that moment to come out of her office and give out their assignments. There were no new cases, but there was a lot of evidence to sift through from the weekend. Holiday weekends operated on a skeleton crew, and only the most serious crimes were given any attention. All other evidence was collected and spilt up among all teams the following week. Rigsby was handed all of the fire evidence. Cho was sent to get statements from witnesses that were not immediately available over the weekend. Lisbon sent Van Pelt with him.

As Cho drove, Van Pelt fidgeted in the passenger seat. She finally settled down a little and was reading the case file when Cho broke the silence. "So, Rigsby embarrassed you in front of your parents this weekend." He stated.

Grace's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to deny that Rigsby had met her parents, but one look at Cho's face and she did not even try. "No, actually the weekend was perfect. My parents loved Wayne, and he got along famously with both of them."

"Then why do you look like you're trying to figure out how to break up with him?" Cho was not known as one of the best interrogators in the state for nothing.

Tears started to roll down Grace's cheeks as she tried to speak "I don't want to…but…" she could not continue.

The usually stoic Cho started to feel uneasy. It was one thing to make a suspect cry, but a co-worker? Not to mention that Rigsby would tear him apart for upsetting her. He pulled into the nearest parking lot and found a space in the back. Once he had the windows cracked open and the car turned off he turned to face Grace. He leaned back against the driver's door and waited for her to talk.

Grace looked around frantically for something to use as a tissue. She found a pile of napkins in the center console and smiled, she was sure that they were there for Wayne. Once she composed herself she looked over at Cho. He was trying to look unaffected by her crying, but she could tell he was a little unnerved. She took a deep breath and started. "It's the rules. I mean, Lisbon has been great to ignore us for the past couple of months but come on they're not HER rules if anyone above her were to find out then she would have no choice but to take action she certainly can't risk her job for two subordinates and …."

Cho reached over and touched her arm. "Take a breath."

Grace stopped to compose herself again before continuing. "It's just that I love him. It's that simple, and that complicated. I'm tired of being afraid to get near him and sometimes just to look at him, afraid that someone will be able to see how I feel. But at the same time I also know I've never felt this way before and as silly as it sounds I don't think I'll ever feel this way again."

They sat in silence for a minute or so before Cho spoke up. "I know what happened 4 years ago."


	16. Coming to Terms with the Past

Just my take on what "trauma" Grace faced, and why she seems so reluctant to break the rules.

* * *

Grace sat stunned for a few moments. She should have realized that Cho had read her file, after all he was in on her interview process. But if he knew, and Lisbon knew then…."Does.."

"Rigsby know?" Grace nodded her head. "Not unless you told him." Grace shook her head and he continued. "I haven't said a word and I don't see any reason why Lisbon would have, so no. But Grace, from what I read, it was not your fault. You did nothing wrong, you seemed to have been the victim."

Grace turned to face him. "Nothing except break the rules. Lisbon was right. If you follow the rules, all of them, everyone is protected. If Jason and I had not been dating, Lisa would not have had a reason to do what she did."

"Talk to Rigsby, he deserves to know why you are so hell bent on not breaking rules. Even rules which no one else seems to care about." At Grace's questioning look he continued. "Have you looked around the cafeteria lately? Or been to Jake's bar right after 5:00?" Grace again shook her head. "Trust me, there are a lot of co-workers dating. Law Enforcement is difficult for a lot of people to understand. Low pay, long hours, high risk. And a lot of those long hours are spent with members of the opposite sex, who do understand the draw of the career. As long as the relationship does not do anything to impact the cohesiveness of the unit it is usually ignored. The rule is only brought out when good order is breached and a reason for discipline is needed."

Grace sat silent taking in all that Cho had to say. When she did not respond Cho continued. "Did you love Jason?" Grace shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't sure. It was too soon."

"But you do love Rigsby." Grace smiled at the fact that it was more a statement then a question and nodded her head. "Without a doubt." She responded.

"OK, then clean your face, let's get this assignment done and you can go home and tell him. Deal?"

Grace's smile widened slightly. "Thanks Cho. I'm sure this was not easy for you."

Cho laughed. "It was easier than dealing with a lovesick Rigsby."

Grace laughed at that. "It was that bad was it? Sorry. OK, ready to go find the bad guys."

Three hours later they returned to headquarters to find that Rigsby had been sent to San Jose to follow up on a lead in one of the weekend's possible arson cases. He would not be home until late. Grace breathed a sigh of relief. She had until later tonight, or possibly later in the week to gather her thoughts. When 5:00 rolled around she called Wayne. He was headed back and would be home by 6:00 depending on traffic.

At ten minutes to six Grace was cutting fresh vegetables for a stir fry when she heard Wayne's key in the door. She immediately put the knife down and turned to meet him as the door opened.

Wayne was a little nervous. Grace was not herself this morning when he arrived at the office and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach that it had something to do with their relationship. He spent his driving time wracking his brain to figure out what happened. The weekend could not have gone more smoothly. Last night after dropping her parents off at the airport, she was the one who initiated lovemaking, and as usual it was spectacular. This morning while getting ready for work there did not seem to be anything wrong, with her that is. He had a bad morning, but nothing serious or even out of the ordinary. He just could not figure out her jumpiness when he got to headquarters.

After opening the door he saw her immediately in front of him. He hesitantly entered the apartment and breathed a sigh of relief as she approached him and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him burying his face in her neck.

"God I'm so glad you're home" She whispered into his chest.

"Bad day out with Cho?" He joked.

Grace chuckled as she drew back to look into his face. "No, not Cho, just a bad day. Come on sit down. Are you hungry?"

Wayne grinned. "Is that a trick question?"

"OK." She laughed. "Let me rephrase that. How hungry are you? We need to talk, and I need your full attention, so before or after dinner? I started a stir fry, it should take about 15 minutes to complete."

The knot returned to Wayne's stomach. "It sounds serious. How about before?"

Grace nodded and led Wayne to the couch. She sat him down in one corner and she sat in the other, both turned to face each other.

Grace fidgeted for a few minutes before opening her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Wayne reached over and took one of her hands. "Grace, this is me remember? You can tell me anything. I promise."

Grace raised her hand and gently stroked his face. He was right. This was Wayne, and she could, and should tell him everything.

Dinner was forgotten as Grace told Wayne what Cho, and Lisbon, already knew. Four years ago she had just gotten her gold shield and was assigned to the newly created Cyber Crimes Unit in Des Moines. The unit consisted of six detectives, with Grace being one of only two females. Tammy Joseph was a veteran detective in her late forties. She had clawed her way up the ranks, and she was not about to make it easy for Grace. Luckily Grace had computer skills on her side. She was familiar with all of the newest technology and was able to translate that knowledge seamlessly into her duties. The four male members ranged in age from late forties to late twenties, making Grace the youngest. Jason Caldwell was in his early thirties, average build, blond hair and green eyes. He was also in possession of an ego that believed that all women wanted him, and those that refused to give in were just playing hard to get.

Jason made his "interest" in Grace known from the start. He was always willing to help her learn the ropes, leaning over her shoulder, brushing her hand with his as he reached over to "show" her something. She knew dating a co-worker was against the rules, but he was so persistent she finally gave in and went for a drink with him. Soon they were an item, and no one seemed to care.

One night about 3 months into their relationship they went back to her place. Jason had agreed to spend the night. She had to admit she was getting a little suspicious when he would never stay the night. But he always seemed to find a way to make it up to her.

They had only been in her apartment for 10 minutes when there was a knock on the door. As Grace turned the door knob she was almost knocked over by the woman on the other side pushing her way in pointing a gun at Grace.

Lisa Caldwell had been married to Jason since they were 18 and she was pregnant with their first child. She was sure that was the way to tame his wandering eye. Of course she was wrong. Just as he had in high school Jason chased any woman he saw. But he always came home, eventually. Grace was different. This was the first time he had arranged to spend the night with one of his tramps.

Grace had spent the next 3 hours tied to a chair listening to Jason try to reason with his crazy wife. Of course Jason's way of reasoning was to place all of the blame on Grace. She listened to him call her a slut and a tramp over and over again. After all if she wasn't a slut she would not have tricked a married man into sleeping with her and then threaten to go to their superiors if he did not continue. When Lisa finally came around to his way of thinking she pointed the gun at Grace's head. Again Jason intervened. This time convincing Lisa to let Grace live because it was her parent's fault. Her parents did not raise her to be a proper lady, they raised her to be a tramp. Lisa finally grew tired and agreed to hand the gun over to Jason. It took another few minutes to calm her down enough to lay down on the couch while he gathered his stuff. He untied Grace, never saying a word, no apology of any kind. Then he got his overnight bag and his wife and left.

Luckily Grace lived not far from her parents. She could not spend the night in that apartment after what happened. Her parents took one look at her face, and asked no questions just letting Grace go to her old room for the night. The next morning at breakfast Grace promised to tell them everything over dinner that night. She never did go back to her apartment. Her father after hearing the story arranged to have everything packed up and moved back home until she could find another place to live.

Returning to work was the hardest thing Grace ever did. She walked into the office only to find Jason laughing and joking around as if nothing had happened. By lunchtime it seemed everyone knew what happened, and they believed Jason's story. Grace had chased him until he finally gave in. After all he was just a man. When their superiors called them in each told their story. Since this was not Jason's first transgression he was given a week's suspension. Grace was given an official reprimand in her file. Of course the rest of the team blamed Grace for Jason's suspension. Her work life became hell.

Even though she was only on the job 6 months, she requested a special circumstances transfer. It was refused, so she went back to school, got the special training she needed, and that led her to Sacramento.

When she finished she found she was no longer sitting at the opposite end of the couch across from Wayne. Instead she was sitting with her back pressed firmly against his chest. One of his strong arms was wrapped around her middle holding her tightly to him while the other softly stroked her hair.

"I just thought you should know why obeying the rules is so important to me. I know what happened was not my fault, but if I had not broken the rule, it would not have happened." She then related the conversation she overheard between Lisbon and Jane that morning.

Wayne just kept stroking her hair and whispering "It's OK." in her ear over and over.

After a few minutes Wayne broke the silence. "Honey there's something you need to know right now. I would say anything to anyone if I thought it would save your life. But right here right now I want you to know that I would spend the rest of my life making it up to you that you had to hear me say anything like what Jason said. You also have to know that anyone who threatens you would end up in jail or a body bag, and I would NEVER leave your side after an ordeal like that. You believe me right?"

Grace turned slightly and buried her face in his neck and nodded.

"Good, now let's get you ready for bed. I think there's some chicken soup in the pantry. Sound good?"

It was 5:30 and the only ones left at CBI Headquarters were Cho and Lisbon. Cho packed up his desk and made his way to Lisbon's office. He did not wait to be invited in he just entered, shut the door and sat down.

Lisbon looked up a little shocked. "Can I help you Agent Cho?"

"Sam's dead." Was all he said in typical no nonsense Cho fashion.

Lisbon immediately started fidgeting and looking everywhere in her office but at Cho. "We don't talk about that."

"Fine. I'll talk. You listen."


	17. Sam's Dead

It was 5:30 and the only ones left at CBI Headquarters were Cho and Lisbon. Cho packed up his desk and made his way to Lisbon's office. He did not wait to be invited in he just entered, shut the door and sit down.

Lisbon looked up a little shocked. "Can I help you Agent Cho?"

"Sam's dead." Was all he said in typical no nonsense Cho fashion.

Lisbon immediately started fidgeting and looking everywhere in her office but at Cho. "We don't talk about that."

"Fine. I'll talk. You listen. "Sam's dead. He can't hold your feelings for him against you."

"Wha-wh-what are you talking about? My feelings??"

"Yes, you loved Sam and he loved you and you used the no fraternization rule to keep him at bay."

"You forget, he was also married."

"What if he wasn't?"

"What 'what if he wasn't'? He was."

"If he wasn't, would you have given in to your feelings?"

"NO, maybe, I don't know. He was married so we never had to face that. Why do I get the feeling that this is not about Sam and me?"

"Because you're a good cop."

"Ah, Rigsby and Van Pelt. I already talked to Van Pelt she knows that I'll keep quiet as long as they keep it hidden."

"Maybe they're tired of hiding. How easy was it for you to hide your feelings? You know as well as I do that there are a lot of couples right here in this building. We know this because they are openly dating. Sam's dead."

"YOU KEEP SAYING THAT! WHAT DOES SAM HAVE TO DO WITH RIGSBY AND VAN PELT?"

"You kept Sam at bay with the Bureau rule, how could you then have a couple in your unit openly dating? He would have been all over that. He's gone now, he can't use it against you."

"Sam wouldn't do that." Lisbon said flatly.

"I hope you don't use that tone in front of Jane. Even I can tell you don't believe it."

"So what am I supposed to do? Walk into the bullpen and ask them for details on their latest date?"

"Yeah. But first you need to go up the ranks and let them know that Rigsby and Van Pelt are both integral to your unit and you will handle any issues of fraternization."

"Ok, so openly admit that I already know they're dating."

"I'm sure it's already suspected. Rigsby was not very good at hiding his feelings from day 1. And you have to admit, neither was Van Pelt. I honestly think if Jane had not interfered and Rigsby had asked her back to his hotel room in Palm Springs she would have considered it, before saying no of course. Come on Lisbon. We've watched them fight it for over a year. This was not some lustful hook up. They tried dating other people, but their feelings for each other got in the way. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. It's the real deal for them."

"Me too. It is the real deal for them. How did I allow this to happen?"

Cho scoffed "Yeah with Van Pelt's past who would have thought this would happen. But I guess you can look at it another way. She made sure it was the real thing before acting on it."

"Yeah Cho that helps." Lisbon laughed. "Come on let's go home. We can deal with this in the morning. Oh, and when you talk to Rigsby or Van Pelt, let them know to hang tight. I'll let them know when I've got it handled."

Cho opened his mouth to deny he had spoken to either one of them, but one look at Lisbon's face and he stopped. All he could manage was "Yes boss."

After making sure Grace was comfortable in bed, Wayne went to the kitchen and put the chopped vegetables away. He then opened a couple of cans of soup and made some grilled cheese sandwiches. He remembered Grace telling him that this was the meal her mom always made for her when she didn't feel well. He loaded up the soup and sandwiches on a tray and carried them into the bedroom. As he was about to put the tray down across her lap, he noticed that she was asleep. He brought the tray back into the kitchen before returning to the bedroom to pull the covers up over Grace. He then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before returning to the kitchen to eat his dinner.

Cho called just as he finished and filled him in on his conversation with Lisbon. Wayne was grateful for Cho's help but decided not to let Grace know. If Lisbon could not work things out with her superiors, he did not want Grace to worry or be disappointed. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even hear Grace come up behind him. He started slightly as she laid a hand on his shoulder. As he turned to face her she moved around to sit in his lap. "Who was on the phone?"

Wayne wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. "Cho. He wanted to see how you were doing."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth, it's nothing we can't handle… together."

Grace smiled as she laid her head on Wayne's shoulder. Her stomach picked that exact moment to rumble with hunger. Wayne laughed as he gave her a squeeze. "Come on, let me warm up that soup for you."


End file.
